My Perfect Warrior
by natsumiirex
Summary: Everything she's ever done, she's done all for him. All for him. She loves him. And she knows he loves her too. Forget the horror in his eyes. Ignore the cries he makes. Don't look at the tears. He. Loves. Her. Vaas/Citra WARNING: Incest & Violence
1. Chapter 1

Sticky hot jungle air clung to her open back, little beads of sweat slowly trailing down her skin. It was the first day of the warm season, coming right after the ruthless cold of winter. Once again the sun shined down between the cracks of dense overgrowth high above their heads. A group of macaque passed by jumping from one thick twisting tree vine to another, glancing at a group of predators they knew to be precautious around. Because from down below on the jungle floor, a gang of small sun-kissed children stood in a circle, surrounding a boy and a girl.

"Tipene.." The girl said, cradling a creamy white, yellow spotted snake in her hands. The reptile slithered around constantly, like water in a disturbed pond. Despite that, the young islander girl moved her arms to the rhythm of its flow expertly, never once taking her eyes off the rigid boy in front of her. She moved closer, shifting her hand slowly to its head to keep it facing towards the boy.

"It is said the great warrior who slayed the giant of the pond can withstand anything. He was invincible." She held the snake towards him, "Nothing could hurt him, and the sound of his footsteps made even the most ferocious of tigers quake in fear."

Tipene, the boy, had his eyes glued onto the snake's beady ones. Sweat, not from the heat of the jungle, trickled down his forehead but he dared not move. The girl smiled softly looking down at it, stroking the top of the reptiles smooth head with one finger. Her eyes flashed up under the thick of her dark lashes, shining bright green like emeralds in a forgotten cave.

"Only time was more powerful than him; it is more powerful than all of us." The snake wrapped its slender body around her arm, squeezing softly but she was far from concerned. "Will you be the warrior of legend. Are you the perfect warrior?"

Tipene swallowed thickly and nodded his head, "Yes."

She smiled and motioned for him to raise his arm. He did so hesitantly, his arm shaking.

"Prove you are. Feel the bite, take the poison. Only the warrior can survive."

All the other kids drew in closer, eyes wide and waited with bated breath. Apprehension filled the air around them as inch by inch the snake's head drew closer to the boy's tanned arm. The reptile was perfectly still, and only the flash of a thin tongue slipping out of it's lips moved, tasting the air. She felt the snake tense in her palms, muscles coiling.

"Do not be scared. The warrior shows no fear."

She extended her arms, and the snake hissed lowly, a warning. Ready to strike.

"CITRA!"

They all jumped when an unexpected voice disturbed the trance they were all in. A man emerged from the foliage, a long machete in his hand, and a furious look on his ragged face. Citra backed away, the snake hissing at the new arrival, its body now squeezing with intense pressure on her small arms. In long swift strides the man crossed the distance between them, and in a flash grabbed the snake and ripped it away from her, and flung it away into some bushes.

Citra's chest tightened in fear, and she barely had time to raise her arms when the man smacked her good on the head. She cried out in pain, clutching the pounding of her skull. Another pained cry escaped her lips as the man pulled her hair tightly, making her head burn. The man didn't let go, but instead moved his attention to the other kids.

"All of you! Get back to your homes before I feed you to the crocs!" The man barked, and the kids scrambled away. He huffed and marched back the way he came from, pulling Citra along. She hissed but her hands stayed by her hips, curling and uncurling. Sometimes he would tug it harshly, just to punish her more. It continued like that until they broke through the foliage of the jungle and into an open grass field.

He finally let go, and she skittered away rubbing her aching head.

"What were you doing with that snake?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his wide tattooed chest.

She bowed her head, "Nothing, Tane."

He snorted and crouched down to be eye level with her, "Tell me child or your father will hear of this."

She frowned but remained stubbornly silent. After a few seconds he sighed and grabbed each of her wrists, forcing her palms up.

"You see this?" He said, shaking her hands, "Snakes are unclean. Dirty. They are bad creatures, and should not be touched. They stain hands with wickedness, and you are lucky they haven't stained yours. But you won't be next time. Do you understand, Citra?"

She lifted her head and nodded, "I understand."

"Do not touch snakes."

"Yes, Tane."

He accepted that and stood up, swatting her head lightly. "Come. Today is the day your father and brother comes back from Chinu. You should not be out playing, child. Your father expects you to greet him and your brother, such is the duty of a daughter and sister."

Tane walked off, and she had to jog to match his long strides. Through the long grass fields, and into the village. Families were all inside preparing for the arrival of their sons coming back from the Chinu. Tane walked with his head high, an air of authority surrounding his tall form, and why should he not? He was after all one of the most respected elders in the tribe, along side his brother Anaru. They, with many other young men, fought in the great war that united all the tribes on the island into one strong, empire. But that was before her time, and she only heard of the war through stories told by her father. Now, all the Rakyat people lived together, and that is the life she knows.

"Go get ready. They will be coming soon." Tane ordered when they entered their house.

Citra went off, her bare feet padding on the wooden floorboards, making some creak and moan under her weight. First, she went to her room and with a bucket went outside to fill it up with water. Sitting outside, she washed her body clean, and after that she went back to her room. On a small, dingy bed she slipped on an orange tube top followed by a dark blue skirt.

Opening up a straw cupboard she took out three bowls and sat herself down before a round mirror left leaning against the wall. She sat down, placing the three coconut bowls beside her. In each bowl contained three different colored powder: White, purple, and red. It was custom for daughters to cake their faces with color, the white representing youth, the purple meaning truthful, and the red, of course, love. As taught, she covered every inch of her face white, smearing purple on her lips down to her chin, and lastly coated her finger red to dab it on her eyelids. With the red, she moved on from her eyes to poke it across her forehead, lining red dots on the top of her eyebrows.

Water from her hair trickled down her face, and she wiped them away annoyed. Worried, she turned her face side to side to make sure it wasn't messed up. When it wasn't, she put back the bowls and got to work slipping on each bracelets beads on both of her wrists, as well as golden ring bracelets on her ankles. Staring at herself in the mirror, she decided she looked representable enough. Now time to get the last thing.

Strapping a knife to her hip, she went outside again and approached a mango tree. Her father told her that this tree was special because her mother had planted it, and nurtured the tree for many years until.. her passing. No one has told her how her mother died, and her father said he will tell her when he deems her ready. When that will be she doesn't know.

Standing in the shade, she placed her foot in a ridge and pulled herself up. Hanging from a branch, she pulled out her knife and started cutting the stem that connected the mango to the branch. Easily it fell, and she jumped off, landing next to the fruit. She made sure to get a plump one, so when she cut it in half there would be a lot for the two coming home.

Citra's chest tightened at the thought. Too long they have been gone. What must have been months, felt like years to her. But she knew there was nothing she could do to prevent it. The Chinu was a ritual all young boys had to go through, but what they experienced was unknown to her. Girls weren't allowed to participate in Chinu. But that didn't mean they couldn't train. The ritual is only meant for boys, but girls could join in training to become a Rakyat warrior.

Her father had left too, since he was one of the teachers of Chinu, so she was left in the care of her uncle. Living with one of the most strictest, no nonsense teacher in the tribe taught her a thing or two on how to fight, and throw a knife. Mostly basic stuff until she actually came of age to train for real.

Once done cutting the fruit, she cradled it in her arms and jogged to the front of the house where Tane stood, straight and tall. She stood next to him, and they both waited in silence. Citra could feel the excitement bubbling beneath her skin, even though she kept a cool face. From a distance, bells started ringing.

Citra let out a low exhale, every nerve in her body frizzling. And finally, _finally, _two figures, one tall and the other short, approached them. They came closer, and Citra could see them clearly now. Anaru and Vaas stopped before them, and it was only custom for Tane to greet them first. As her uncle welcomed back Anaru, she never once took her eyes off her older brother. He looked like the brother she remembers, but so very different at the same time. Vaas looked straight forward, ignoring his sister's stare.

"Father." She greeted him first when Tane finished, and gave the man the piece of mango. When Anaru laid his eyes on his daughter again, it seemed like all the seriousness on his face melted away to be replaced with a kind smile. He took her offering and bit into it. She then turned to her brother.

"Vaas." She said, and he finally looked at her.

His green eyes.. just like hers. A wave of warmth washed over her to feel her brother's gaze on her once again. She had almost forgotten how clear and bright they were. Almost.

She handed him the fruit, and he took it, his fingers brushing hers lightly. Vaas bit into the juicy fruit, sweetness exploding in his mouth.

"Thank you for taking care of Citra. Remind me to give you a gift of my gratitude." Anaru said, clasping his brother's shoulder.

Tane did the same, grinning back, "How about the sweet cocoa butters in the rolling hills, and a shark's skin while you're at it."

The two brothers laughed, knowing that Anaru _would _get all those things even if it was a joke.

"Now!" Anaru swooped down and snatched Citra, placing her on his shoulders. "Back home we go. I think I've forgotten what an actual bed feels like!"

"See you at the celebration." Tane called after them, "And Citra! I expect to see you in the future at my classes."

Citra looked back and nodded her head smiling at her uncle. She waved him goodbye as Anaru walked down the hill, and to the direction of their house. They passed through the village square, where various decorations were being put up for tonight's celebration. Citra was excited for that, with all the music, and the liveliness. But she was more excited for other reasons.

They came to their house, and when they entered everything looked the same as the day they left it, except everywhere there was a sheen layer of dust. Anaru placed Citra down and went to the kitchen to unload the fresh pack of kills he's got before arriving at the village. Immediately, Vaas started straight for his room but Citra blocked his path.

"Vaas tell me how did it go? What did you do?" Citra shot, bouncing on her heels.

"Citra, leave your brother alone. He is tired from the journey, and will need all his strength for tonight." Anaru said over his shoulder as he laid dead komodo dragons the kitchen counter.

She pouted, and stepped aside letting Vaas continue down the hall to disappear into his room. She followed him with her eyes, staring at his exposed back. It was more tanned than she remembered.

"Help me skin these Citra." Her father called.

She blinked, "Yes, Father." And went to help him out.

Citra spent the rest of the day waiting impatiently for the sun to sink and the moon to rise. While waiting, she had one peek into Vaas' room. Cracking the door open a slit, she saw him laying on his bed, his chest rising up and down slowly. She stood there, just watching him entranced. She couldn't help it. It's been so long.

When the moon took the throne in the sky, did all the villagers come out. Music filled the night air, and a huge fire pit was made. People danced around, getting drunk on sweet, rich wine that tasted like honey in a bees nest. Of course, none was shared to her. Vaas got a sip, but he grimaced as it went down his throat. From a group of girls, she kept glancing at Vaas, who was surrounded by his fellow peers.

Despite the joy, Vaas looked bored, maybe even solemn. It wasn't long before he excused himself from his friends to retire home. Citra didn't say anything to her acquaintances when she got up and followed after him in the shadows. The sound of music faded away, and she watched him enter their house. She waited for a moment before going inside.

It was dark, a stark contrast when the house was lit up by daylight. In the day it looked inviting, welcoming. Now the house was silent like the dead. She tip-toed her way pass the kitchen and down the hallway. His door was closed, but it was closed every night she came. She pushed the door open softly and slipped into the quiet room. By memory she crossed the room to his bed, but before she could reach it a single floorboard creaked.

Citra froze, holding her breath.

"... Not tonight Citra."

She exhaled at the sound of her brother's voice, and continued to his bed without a care to stay silent any longer. Her legs bumped on the edge of the bed, and she climbed onto it, and over her brother's waist.

"Citra not tonight." Vaas repeated, his voice trying to stay firm. The moon shone through the glass window, illuminating the two of them. She could finally see his face in the pale glow of the moonlight. She held his cheek, rubbing her thumb softly on his skin. When she saw Vaas again, she thought he looked so different. How could she every think that? The anxiety in his eyes.. he was still the same. He was still the brother she knew. He was still her Vaas.

"I missed you." She said, her voice the only noise in the silent room. She leaned down, placing her forehead against his, their breaths mixing together.

"Citra please.." Vaas whispered, his stomach churning unpleasantly.

She stilled, and abruptly pulled away, her face twisted in anger.

"Do you not love me anymore!?" She yelled, pounding a fist on his chest, her body shaking. "Do you not love me, huh? Answer me!"

Tears slipped down her freshly powdered cheeks, and she couldn't stop hitting his chest. Her mind was buzzing, like there were a million hornets inside.

"Stop, stop! I love you, Citra! I love you, I love you please just stop." Vaas begged, sitting up. He grabbed her wrists and tried to stop her from hitting him and she cried, trying to pull away. Her crying stopped quickly, and she sniffed, wiping away a loose tear.

"Say it. Say you love me."

"I love you." He responded, but they fell from his lips so easily.

She sniffed again, and held his hand in hers.

"You are my warrior. My perfect warrior."

With one hand she rubbed the red powder on her eyelids and smeared it across his trembling lips.

"You love me?" She asked, scooting closer to him.

He stared at her, and she thought his green eyes were so beautiful. Like gems she could pluck out.

"I love you." He said finally, his eyes watering.

"Then let me show you my love."

It has been so long. Before he left for Chinu, she would come to him at night, like a game they played. It was fun at first, but as Vaas grew older, now in his eighth year, he was beginning not to like their game. But she didn't care, and he was too scared. Too helpless.

She touched him in places that made him squirm, his stomach twisting. He wants to tell her to stop. Stop, stop and leave him alone but he can't. She explored him, and she made him do it back. There was no innocence like the first time so many years ago. It isn't fun anymore.

Citra removed her hand from underneath his cotton shorts and laid beside him, pressing her lips to his in a sweet, _chaste_ kiss.

"I love you, Vaas."

She was his, and he was hers.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

"I love you too, Citra."

* * *

><p><strong>I feel like Citra and Vaas' backstory wasn't elaborated much in the game. And plus I love Citra's character. More chapters to come and thanks for reading! :]<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Citra was that type of person who knew what she wanted, when she wanted it, and how.

She hated _loosing. _

"Ngh!" She grunted as a swift kick to her stomach made her double over in pain. Tears sprung to her eyes but she held them back.

_Show no pain. Show no weakness._

Gritting her teeth, she charged back at her opponent, only to get knocked down on the hard stone floor. Her head bounced on the ground, and stars burst behind her closed eyelids. She was drenched in sweat, and her head was getting dizzy from lack of oxygen.

"Up! Get up and fight!"

She heard her uncle's voice shout. Blinking away the darkness around the edges of her vision, she slowly picked herself up off the bloody floor. Her blood. She spat out more blood in her mouth and wiped her face. Everything hurt, but she wasn't going to give up. Admit defeat. She _needed _to win this. She _has _to.

Turning to face her opponent, she scanned him, the gears in her head turning. He was bigger than her, and older. He was chosen to fight the girl who wanted to skip ahead of classes to be on the same level with Vaas. She worked so hard for this. Many days and hundreds of hours she spent practicing, pushing her body to the limit. And it was all to be in the same class with her brother.

She screamed and charged at the teen. He was ready for her, and he would've hit her if it weren't on the last second she slid down on her knees and latched onto his leg. In a flash, she maneuvered her body to the side and kicked his feet, knocking him off balance. She heard the satisfying crunch of bone, and when she crawled on top of him his nose was broken, blooding streaming out of his nostrils.

Citra didn't waste anytime. Balling her fist she continuously punched him in the face, blood splattering all over her face and stained her hands a crimson red. In retaliation, he swung a sideways punch, hitting her hard on the side. She gasped and clutched her rib, giving him an opening to throw her away. She rolled to a stop, deep, intense waves of pain flowing up and down her body.

A pained scream left her lips as something hard kicked her right in her bruised ribs. Another kick and another. It was endless. She lifted her head just in time to see the heel of a feet smashed into her head, whipping her head to the other side. Pounding resonated throughout her body, and a loud ringing filled her ears. Everything hurt.. it hurt so much she couldn't move.

_Citra.. Citra!_

"Vaas?" She breathed, trying but failing to open her tired eyes.

"Citra, get up." It was her uncle.

A sound left her lips. She couldn't even respond. It felt like the ground beneath her was spinning, making her sick to her stomach.

"Get up." He nudged her with his feet, but when she didn't get up he sighed and crouched down. "Get up Citra. Fight. You're the daughter of Anaru, are you not?"

Those words stung. Her father.. he died years ago. Killed. _Murdered. _By outsiders; with their guns and boats. A spark of anger flared inside her, and she used that to give her strength. Shakily, she pushed herself up, her arms burning. The dizziness intensified, but she forcefully ignored it. It took a while before she was up on her feet again, swaying in place.

The boy didn't look any better than she did. His face was one big bloody mess, one eye puffy and red. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her aching knuckles. They both approached each other again, and this time he made the first move. Lunging at her, he went to tackle her down with his weight but she swooped under his arms and jumped on his back like a monkey.

He screamed as she groped for his face, digging her fingers into his broken nose. His hands flew behind him, scratching her arms and back, and sometimes pulling her hair. She grinded her teeth through it all, not releasing the choke hold she had on him. The air flew right out of her lungs when he fell backwards, crushing her under his weight. That made her let go, and he rolled away.

The pain in her ribs came back full force. Wheezing because it hurt too much to breath properly. She rolled away just in time as a feet smashed onto the ground where her head used to be. Scrambling up, she barely dodged a punch. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, giving her body a jolt of energy. Heart beating faster than a running leopard, she ran to him and slid at the last moment, kicking his leg right from under him, sending him once again toppling down.

Not missing a beat, she stood over him and stomped down on his throat. His eyes bulged out of their sockets, and his face turned an angry red. She stumbled back, watching the teen clutch his throat, gasping for air.

"Help him." Tane ordered when the teen didn't seem to be getting up anytime soon. Two kids got up from the edges of the fighting platform and went to help the teen up. The other kids in her class watched them take the beaten up teen to the healer. Citra stood, exhaustion crashing down on her as the adrenaline high wore off from her system.

"Citra, go to the healer with them." Tane said, turning his attention to the girl. He wasn't smiling, but she could see the pride shining in his eyes.

"No, Uncle. I'd rather just go home." She didn't feel like going to a healer. All she wanted to do was sleep away the pain. He approached her and clasped a hand on her shoulder.

"Go home, then." He patted her shoulder, and turned to the other kids. "What are you all looking at! Go, ten laps now through the swamps!"

All the kids shot off, fearful of their teacher's wrath. Citra stepped off the platform and headed outside the training temple. Every inch of her body felt like it was on fire, and there was so much blood. She could feel it drying and crusting on her face. She took the trail back to the village, a limp in her step. When she was finally safe inside the house, Citra grabbed a bucket and went outside to their little well. She did the long process of getting water, and carrying it back to the bathing room to fill the tub.

Peeling off her sticky clothes, she slipped into the lukewarm water, sighing in relief. Grime, soot, and blood mixed in the liquid, staining it a dark brownish red. Her tense muscles relaxed, and the pounding in her head soothed. It was so nice she felt herself drifting off, until the sound of the front door opened and closed, grabbing her attention.

"Citra?"

Warmth flooded her body, making her giddy. Actually, she would've jumped up and ran to him if she weren't so tired. Vaas called her name again, but she didn't bother answering. She waited, listening to the sound of his footsteps walk around the house in search of her. Finally, his footsteps ended behind the closed door of the bathing room. She laughed inwardly at his hesitation.

The door creaked open, and Vaas stepped inside, eyes adverted.

"Uncle sent me to see if you're ok." He told, "He said you didn't want to go to a healer."

Vaas stood in place, awkwardly shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking anywhere but her.

"Come." She ordered and he did so until he was standing beside the tub. Still looking away. She wracked her eyes up and down his bare chest. Sweat glistened on his skin, and she presumed he was training right before their uncle sent him here. With one hand, she ran her wet fingers down his forearm to grab his wrist and tug, signaling him to crouch. He did, and she grabbed his chin to look at her.

His face did, but not his eyes. It was starting to annoy her.

"Look at me." She said, running her thumb across his bottom lip.

Green met green, and she smiled. He was so beautiful. In her eyes he is the epitome of perfection. She didn't know when her little obsession for her brother started. She just remembered always adoring him. There was no before. He is the start of her time. He is _everything _to her. The sky, the water, the earth. He is her god.

Taking his hand, she led it to rest on her collarbone. Slowly, ever so slowly, she slipped his hand down to cup one of her developing breasts, all the while staring intensely at his face, taking in every reaction. His jaw tightened, and his adams apple bobbed when he swallowed thickly, eyes trained down.

"I have to go." Vaas said quickly, breaking the tension that culminated in the room. He stood up abruptly, slipping his wet hand away. A flicker of anger spiked up her back but she smothered it down. He left the room without a goodbye, or a glance back, and that left Citra feeling oddly empty. Her chest tightened, dark sudden thoughts scratched inside her skull, giving her one hell of a headache. She suppressed a frantic scream and slid under the grimy water.

Little bubbles rose up to the surface, each containing the frustration and despair she felt at the moment.

In the next second, all the emotions in her chest, tingling in her fingertips, dissipated. Like it never existed, and a cool wash of nothingness over-took her body, leaving her feeling empty inside. This defect in her head, this block of her emotions, she used to hate it. Citra used to feel detached, and it left her frustrated. Now, she learned to get used to it.

And soon she came to believe she didn't have any emotions inside her at all.

The foreign ones that did, well, those were fake. They weren't hers. Someone put them inside her, shoved them in. That was why they felt so unnatural.

_they weren't real. they aren't hers._

Citra didn't know if that was true anymore.

0000

Always when sparing with another person, she would always look to see if Vaas was watching her. She wanted him to be. But he was too focused on his own fight, which she should be doing right now; focusing. A fist collided with her chin, snapping her head back. Citra stumbled backwards, but regained her balance, rubbing her sore bruise.

The older girl in front of her shook her hand, her knuckles red. Citra re-focused her attention and closed in on the other girl. She knew in order to win with someone bigger and older, she had to use her agility to her advantage. Thinking quickly, she did a fake jab to the face, and the girl raised her arms up to shield the throw. Citra expected this and swiftly went in for the stomach, giving it three quick powerful punches and a good kick to the knee, making the girl stumble.

Her opponent retaliated by diving for her stomach, sending them both crashing to the ground. Citra recovered first, kneeing the teen in the stomach and kicking her off. She got up, wiping sweat from her eyes. From out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Vaas striking his opponent in the head with a thick bamboo stick. He was drenched in sweat, his tan body glistening under the sun.

His face showed pure concentration mixed in with proper anger. His fierce yell reverberated in her head, and she watched him blossom into someone she admired. She looked up to. She _adored. _A weird feeling of pride swelled in her chest, knowing that, that is her brother. Her Vaas. _Hers. _

Citra doubled over, clutching her stomach, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Wheezing, she snapped her attention back to her opponent. The older girl drew her leg back and got into a fighting stance.. but.. but she wasn't looking at Citra. Her head was buzzing, like it was going super-fast, and Citra blinked a few times. The girl- the girl.. Citra followed her line of sight to rest on Vaas.

_vaasvaasvaasvaasvaasvaas_

She was looking at him. She was _looking at him._

Cold rage flowed through her veins. She screamed, charging at the older girl. Instead of throwing a punch, she leapt into the air and struck her feet down on her knee. The delicious sound of bone breaking, and the sight of the girl's knee bending backwards sent a thrill down Citra's spine.

"AHHH!" The older girl screamed, collapsing, clutching her oddly bent knee. But Citra wasn't done. She climbed over the girl and started punching her face in. The smell of blood permeated the air, driving her crazy. Her whole body felt tingly, and she couldn't stop. She didn't want to. Citra wanted to make this girl _bleed_.

_She was going to take Vaas away from her. She was going to take him away! _

A rational part of her brain would've told her that the possibility of that happening was zero to none, but something deep inside her screamed at her that she was going to loose Vaas to- to _her. _To this nothing! To this pathetic pig! Vaas is hers! VAAS IS HERS!

"HE'S MINE! HE'S MINE!" Citra roared, her fists staining dark, beautiful red.

Voices were shouting, but it was background noise to her. That is until something ripped her off the half-conscious girl. Citra struggled against whatever was holding her back.

"Stop! Stop!"

She instantly melted, going limp in Vaas' hold. A crowd had already formed around her beaten, crying opponent. Citra felt nothing when she saw what had become of the girl's face, if you could even call it that anymore. Tane marched over, and the crowd dispersed allowing him a good view. The old man's face twisted in anger. The siblings backed away when their uncle stomped towards them.

"Ah!" Citra hissed, when Tane smacked her face with the back of his hand, rattling her brain inside.

"Go home!" Tane barked.

"But Uncle-"

"Now!"

She flinched at his outburst, and decided to comply. Citra rushed out of the temple, and ran to the jungle. She didn't stop running, and when her lungs burned and she could go on no longer she fell to her knees. Her body wracked with sobs, and she curled in on herself. Her head was buzzing, so loud, so loud it hurts.

What had she done so wrong?

The gods were punishing her.

Her father was watching from the after-life, disgusted of her sick, _wrong _love for her brother. _What is wrong with her?_

At that moment, it felt like a veil had been lifted from her eyes, exposing her to the sickness she had inside her body. Such pure clarity...

Citra went perfectly still, eyes wide.

Nothing was wrong with her. Nothing was wrong. Her mind felt foggy, and she slipped back under the pond that drowned reality from her senses. Once again she was lost in her own mind.

Citra got up, feeling eerily calm, and headed back home.

It wasn't till dusk when Tane came for her. Thankfully he had cooled off, and only pulled her outside to sit by the mango tree. They sat in silence, watching the array of soft orange to red, to blue and black painted on the sky.

"This.. this was your mothers." Tane spoke up, cradling a necklace in his fingers. He gave it to her and she took it. It was of simple design, two thick strands with small blue cylinder on each side. Hanging in the middle was a huge, bone tooth.

"I think it is time for you to know what happened to your mother."

Citra snapped her head up, looking at Tane shocked. He wasn't looking at her, but at the descending sun, a far away look on his face.

"Your mother.. She was a very fierce, passionate woman. During the war, she guided us, gave us strength with her words. Your Father and I competed for her hand. We were so enthralled by her beauty. She was a warrior goddess to us. To the people." A dark look came on his face, "But after her first birth, she started saying these things. She spoke of the gods cursing her. Of creatures of the night coming to her in the dark. She said they raped her, and left a demon inside her belly. We took her to the healer, but she could find nothing wrong. We then took her to the oracle, but she too, gave us no relief."

"And then she birthed you Citra. It was only luck by the gods that Anaru kept watch over you, because when night fell, and your mother thought him asleep, she took you to the river and held your body under. Your father had followed her, and he saved you when he saw what she was doing. Your mother drew her knife, and cut her stomach open. Her body flowed away with the river. Her body was never found, and we assumed the crocs had her."

Tane rested a hand on her shoulder, "Your father held much guilt in his heart. His regret was that he didn't know how to save your mother. She was both out of our reach."

Citra was silent, processing the sad tale in her mind.

"Why are you telling me this?" She whispered, clutching the necklace.

"Because on her final days I saw the look in her eyes. The same you had today."

Crushing anxiety made her hands shake, but she didn't know why.

"Citra," He placed two fingers under her chin to make her look up. "I see potential in you. You have the same passion your mother had. A will to move the people. To lead them. I _see _that in you." He tapped her chest in emphasis, "You are strong. And one day I know you will lead our people to better days. But you _cannot _let whatever infected your mother get to you. Do you understand, Citra?"

She didn't reply at first, lost in her own thoughts.

"Citra?"

"I understand, Uncle." She looked him in the eye, and smiled softly, "I'm fine."

He searched her eyes, looking for something. But when he didn't find it he smiled thinly and patted her shoulder, getting up. "Come, your brother has brought home boar for tonight."

Citra followed suit, putting on the necklace. Where the bone touched, her skin burned.


	3. Chapter 3

The drums beating rose over the roar of the crowd. Citra felt anxious, her stomach doing flips. She had practiced and practiced for this day, and when it finally arrived all she wanted to do was run into the jungle and hide up in the trees with the monkeys. The only thing keeping her grounded was her uncle waiting for her, expecting her to show the elders what he's taught them.

Today was a day of the trials. A sort of big test to prove you are worthy of becoming a warrior for your tribe. Each student got to pick an animal of their choice to fight against. Citra knew what animal she wanted to face. She was just worried for her brother. They weren't allowed to tell what animal they chose, and that made Citra all the more anxious and fearful.

Of course she had no doubts her brother was the strongest, the bravest, and the most determined one in class. Each day she had watched him grow from a boy into a man. And she had been with him every step of the way. Always supporting him. She was always there for him. After all, what kind of sister would she be if she didn't care for him.

They were all waiting outside the tunnel like entrance leading to the arena. One by one Tane would call them inside, handing them their preferred choice of weapon. Citra chanced a glance at Vaas, who was leaning against the stone wall surrounded by friends who were all joking and laughing, hiding their own nervousness. Vaas was the only one not laughing with them, his face serious, flipping a huge knife in his hand.

Breathing deeply, she walked over to them. When they noticed her approach, the boys placed on charming smiles. If Vaas was the bull of their tribe, then she was the flower in his mouth.

"Citra." They greeted her, focusing their attention on the new come arriver. She didn't smile at them, her eyes focused on one individual who didn't greet her, or even look up.

"Vaas." She said, wanting to get his attention. He stared at the knife, his reflection staring right back at him. "Can I talk to you. Alone."

He didn't say anything, but pushed off the wall. She took that as a yes and walked away from the group, his footsteps crunching behind her. They walked around the large temple, away from prying eyes. She stopped and turned around to face him.

"What is it?" He asked, sheathing the knife back into its respectable pouch.

Citra bit her lip, her hand inside her pocket fingering the piece of jewelry she had crafted with precise and care. She pulled it out and showed it to him.

"I made this for you. For strength.. and protection."

It took her days to thread the thick wool of buffalo skin together, and weeks to perfectly craft, and polish a simple green, porcelain leaf that shined under the sun. She raised her arms and placed it over and down his head, letting the necklace hang around his neck. Her fingers brushed his neck, sliding down to finger the leaf. He wrapped his hand over her wrist and kissed her vein. The simple action took her by surprise. Vaas had never been the one to initiate their love.

She grunted as he lifted her body and pressed her hard against the wall, molding their bodies together. She threw her head back, exposing her long neck, lips parted and eyes fluttering close. His body was pressed flushed against hers, and she could feel each breath he took. The feel of his mouth on her neck brought tingles of pleasure, and she ran her fingers through his short hair.

A large hand cupped one of her breasts, squeezing it harshly. She hissed, raking her nails down his shirtless back, leaving angry red lines in its wake. He growled into her ear, and slammed her on the wall, smashing his lips down on hers. There was no fight for dominance, he was the one in control. She let him be the one in control. When they broke apart for air, she got a good look at his face.

Citra frowned, "What is wrong with your eyes." His pupils, they were big, huge. She's never seen anything like it.

"Ha.. what?" He laughed, but it sounded off. Actually, now noticing it, he looked off. Too excited. His eyes couldn't seem to hold still, and it was flickering everywhere.

"Are you ok?" She asked, concerned.

"Ok? Of course! Of course, of course, of course." He grinned wildly, his eyes unfocused, shiny.

"Vaas-"

"Vaas!" They jumped, snapping their heads to the sound of his name being called. Tane stood at the bend of the temple, waving at them angrily.

"Aw shit." Vaas cursed under his breath, and Citra was taken aback. What was that? But before she could ask him he was already off jogging back to the tunnel. Citra followed, her mind going into over-drive. What kind of language did her brother just sprout out. It was nothing like she's ever heard before. It sounded unfamiliar, foreign. And his eyes..

Did this have something to do with Vaas' recent trips at night. Her brother thought him so sneaky, but he didn't know she would sometimes stay up at night, when she couldn't sleep and she was left alone with her thoughts. It was happening for the past few months, and not once did she try to stop him or ask about it. One time she tried to follow him, but she was never a good tracker, and lost him easily in the dark jungle.

She wouldn't mind if it weren't affecting their relationship. Recently, he's been acting distant from her. Hanging out with his friends for hours, while she waited for him to come home. It hurt. Citra didn't know what she was doing so wrong. She thought she had been giving him everything he could ever possibly need. Love, affection, adoration, worship. What was she doing so wrong?

Citra felt like she was loosing him. And she could do nothing about it.

She steeled her face when they rejoined the group. Tane was saying something to Vaas, and he held his shoulder and shook it. He then hand her brother a long spear, but Vaas held his hand and pulled out to show his knife. Tane raised a brow, but clapped his back. Vaas didn't look back as he walked through the tunnel, the crowd breaking out in cheers.

Citra felt sick. She wanted to run after him, but that was not permitted. She could only hope- no she _knew _Vaas would be fine. More than fine. He would impress the elders so much. And they should be impressed. Vaas is an excellent warrior. He was the first in their class to bring down a buffalo with one arrow. He could win any sword fight, and his strength matched no other. He is the warrior of old, reincarnated into her brother. And he is all hers.

"Which animal did you choose, Citra? A deer?" One of the boys asked.

She narrowed her eyes and smiled thinly at him, "What did you choose? A pig?"

"Citra!" Tane yelled, and waved her over. She left to the boys laughing at their friend and went to her uncle.

"You're up next. Just like I told your brother, do not try to impress the elders. There is one thing you should focus on and that is killing your beast. Nothing else. I won't be there to save you, no one will be. You have to be strong, focused."

Citra nodded her head, "What.. what animal did Vaas choose?"

Tane grinned proudly, "A bear. And he chose to bring only his father's knife."

Citra didn't know how to feel. She felt over-whelming pride fill her. Her brother is truly the warrior she worships. And soon, they will all worship him. She knew from a young age he will be their leader. Their perfect creation sent down by the gods. It is his _birthright_.

"Pick a weapon you know will help you. with your animal." Tane said, motioning to a flimsy table with different assortments of weapons laying on top. She scanned the row, and settled on a long, long as her forearm, tribal knife. She examined it, sliding it across the palm of her hand, easily leaving a thin strip cut. She gripped the knife tightly and entered the tunnel. Her uncle stopped her with a hand to the shoulder, giving it a firm shake and let go.

Citra controlled her breathing, but her heart beat was so fast. Excitement, and the first hints of adrenaline made her anxiety spike. Mentally she prepared herself for what was to come. Thinking of Vaas helped her. Soothed her frazzled nerves. The thought of him, made her feel brave. Determined.

The sun blinded her when she exited the tunnel, and the crowd upon seeing her broke out in a deafening roar, stomping their feet. She lowered the hand shielding her eyes, and walked to the middle of the sandy arena. A horn blew, and she swore it could be heard from miles and miles. On the other side of the arena, a bamboo gate lifted up, revealing another tunnel.

The crowd's noise blended into the background, and the only thing she could hear was her breaths. She twirled the knife in her hand, feeling the grip, and crouched in a low stance. A bead of sweat dropped from the tip of her nose. Like the silence of night, an orange black striped tiger emerged from the darkness of the tunnel. Its coat shined under the rays of the sun; its yellow, golden eyes lit up like gems.

As powerful as it is beautiful, the tiger targeted its prey. A pink tongue lapped at its white whiskers, and its tail swished this way and that. They locked eyes, green meeting gold. Citra let out a breath, tightening her grip on the only thing that held her life. The tiger growled, crouching low on its hind legs, the muscles tensing in its bony shoulders.

Faster than the eye could blink, the majestic beast sprung, kicking dust in the air. A roar erupted from its chest, sending a thrill of fear and excitement up her spine. Claws unsheathed, it went in for the kill, aiming for her neck. She hit dirt, sliding harshly on the sand right under the tiger. Her hand shot up, and managed to cut the animal under one of its hind legs. Citra got back on her feet in an instant, just as the tiger landed heavily, mewling in pain.

Once again they stared each other off, but from switched positions. The tiger, knowing that this wasn't an easy prey, crouched low, taking caution. It circled her, and she had no choice but to circle it back, because once the animal even got a second behind her back, or out of her line of sight she was dead. So they circled each other, each waiting for an opening.

Citra made the first move. She kicked sand at the tiger in hopes of it getting partially distracted enough to allow time to charge at the beast. She let out a fierce scream and swiftly swiped the knife, aiming for the beast's neck. But she miscalculated the tiger's response time, and she had to desperately skitter away. Her leg burned, three long gashes riding down her thigh, fresh blood oozing from the wound.

Why didn't he want her like the other boys do? They stare at her while she stared at him.

A leg for a leg.

Thank the gods it wasn't deep. Or maybe it was, she couldn't feel it. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, dulling the pain, and maybe the blood loss. She wasn't getting dizzy, and her vision was crystal clear. The tiger hissed at her, its ear laying flat on its huge head.

_Citra!_

"Vaas?" She said confused, whipping her head to look at the crowd.

"CITRA!"

It felt like a boulder had just collided with her, rattling every bone in her body. Her shoulders creaked under the weight of the tiger, threatening to snap. It was a frenzy of teeth and claws. Her brain went into over-drive, and she had a tunnel vision sight on the tiger's huge face right in hers. She wasn't even thinking. She let instinct control her body.

Curling her legs to her chest, she struck the tiger's own chest as hard as she could. It was enough, since she managed to prop her legs like a stand holding up a painting. She screamed, plunging the knife into the side of the tiger's neck repeatedly. Blood splattered all over her, getting into her mouth and she could taste bitter iron. She redirected her aim from the neck to its eye, and watched as the blade spear deeply into the socket, making squishy, squelching sounds.

Another stab, and she heaved the tiger off her. Citra got up, her body shaking from the adrenaline high. The beast laid limp beside her feet, its shiny orange coat stained with red. It seemed like everything rushed back into reality, and the roar of the crowd filled her hears. They were chanting her name.

"Citra! Citra! Citra!..."

She glanced at were the elders sat on their thrones. Her eyes swept over the many faces, all looking at her with awe and respect.

"The goddess warrior has returned!" Someone shouted from the crowd.

But it fell on deaf ears. Their cheers, their praises, she didn't listen. It didn't mean anything.

All she noticed, all she cared about, was the fact that Vaas was gone. His face wasn't in the crowd, or standing next to her smiling uncle.

Killing the tiger was pointless, if her brother wasn't there to see it. Inside, she felt empty.

000

When night fell, the teens who survived the trial gathered at the shore of the beach to celebrate. A big bonfire had been built, and some danced around it to the beat of drums while others went for a midnight swim. Citra was never one for such gatherings. She was actually not that popular in the group regarding friendliness. It was always her brother that was more of the outspoken one. The wild card.

But since her battle with the tiger, which she surprisingly found out she was the only one to choose that animal, she was suddenly the center of attention. That didn't mean she wanted it. She rebuffed any conversation directed her way, preferring to sit on a log alone, sipping sweet alcohol from the shell of a coconut. The light mood in the air didn't raise her spirits. Citra still felt down about what happened.

The only reason she even came out here was because Tane kicked her out, saying something about getting her mood up, and that she deserves it. Looking around, she would rather prefer being back in the training grounds, perfecting her skill on archery. Someone refilled her drink, and she swallowed it down. When she wiped her mouth, her head started to feel slightly dizzy.

"Tiger warrior! Dance with me."

A hand entered her view, and she followed the hand to the elbow up his arm to see one of Vaas' blinked a few times, trying to clear the fuzziness from her vision. Citra didn't know if it was the alcohol in her system, or the way he smiled at her, but she took his hand, and let him pull her up and to the edge of the blazing fire. Citra swayed to the beat, feeling the music in her bones.

The fire splashed colors of red and orange on her skin. Her body moved on its own accord. Hands turned her around and a taught body grinded behind her. She threw her head back, resting it on his shoulder. She opened her eyes a crack to see the glowing embers. They burned so brightly, like the fires of a demon. This caused her to feel an irrational fear. She closed her eyes; she didn't want to see it.

Instead, she concentrated on the man behind her. His hands ran up and down her body, their bodies moving as one. Citra's body moved sensually against his, like a snake.

"Vaas.." She whispered, her whole body tingling.

The hands on her stomach were his. The body pressed against her was his. The lust for her was his. He _wanted_ her..

Her eyes snapped open when the body behind her suddenly disappeared.

"What the fuck, you fucking motherfucker!"

"Vaas?"

Citra couldn't register what she was seeing. Vaas was here, right here. Is this a hallucination? Her brother shoved his friend, making the teen stumble back.

"Huh?! You fucker, don't you _fucking_ touch my sister that way! I will fucking kill you, you fucking piece of shit!" Vaas yelled, bouncing around. It was like he couldn't stand still. Citra grew alarmed, she had never seen her brother act this way.

The music stopped, and everyone was staring at Vaas like he'd grown another head. No one had a clue what gibberish he was sprouting out.

"You think I'm joking? Huh? I will fucking kill you-"

"Vaas! Stop.. what are you doing?" Citra cut him off, trying to make sense of things. He snapped his attention to her, and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the group.

"Fuck you bitches!" He yelled over his shoulder, raising his middle finger in the air. Citra frowned in confusion at the unknown gesture.

"Come on! Come on!" Vaas yelled, breaking into a sprint, jerking her arm, making her run with him. Citra kept stumbling and tripping, her legs refusing to run correctly.

"Vaas, wait!" She called out, wincing at the pain blossoming from her bandaged thigh. He hollered, and circled around, coming back for her.

"Vaas-" She wheezed out, too disoriented to slap away his poking fingers.

"Come on! Ahooooowa!" He screamed, and took off again. She shook her head, clearing her jumbled up thoughts and ran after him.

Through the dark jungle they ran, Vaas' consistent screaming and hollering scaring away any animals in the area. The cold air whipped at Citra's face, slapping her awake from her drunken state. Sober, she ran faster now that she had some control of her legs. She didn't know how long they ran for, but she didn't care. Her brother was happy, no, more than happy. He hasn't been this way with her since they were kids.

Citra didn't care were he was leading her, or if they were just running to nowhere. She would follow him anywhere.

She broke through some bushes onto a dirt path, everything illuminated by the moon's pale light.

"Citraaa!" Vaas screamed, and she followed the sound of his voice. When she followed the path, she slowly realized where they were. Standing by the edge of a huge hole in the earth, Vaas shrugged off his cotton shorts, flinging them away without a care.

"Come on, come on. Take it off, take your clothes off." Vaas said quickly, excitedly.

She did so, flipping her plain shirt and skirt off.

"Are we jumping?" She asked, standing next to him by the edge. Citra remembered the last time they were both here, but they were children back then, and Citra tagged along when Vaas went off with his friends. Vaas was the first one to jump. She didn't. Back then, she was too scared. Peering over the edge into the dark water below, she still felt nervousness creep over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. On three ok?"

"Ok" She agreed, albeit nervously. "One-" She yelped in surprise when Vaas pushed her. She flailed her arms, the wind roaring past her ears. Her heart was beating so fast it hurt. There was a split-second for her mind to process she was falling, and her body to react, a scream tore from her throat. Before she knew it, icy cold water surrounded her body, and she sank like a missile. By instinct, she kicked her legs and swam to the surface.

Just as she broke the surface, gulping in air, something whizzed past her and she held her arms up, shielding herself from a huge splash. Vaas emerged seconds after, shaking his head like a dog, whipping drops of water everywhere. He howled, a wide grin on his face. One second he's screaming at the moon, then next she's being pulled into his arms, and he's kissing her.

Despite the cold water, she felt warm.

After they climbed up the long drop, racing against each other, the siblings laid on the grass, catching their breaths. Under the moonlight, she turned her head to the side to look at him. Vaas lay perfectly still, his eyes glazed over. Softly, she reached out and brushed his cheek.

"Vaas?"

"Mmh?"

"Would you do anything for me?"

**_You are angry, Jason. You are angry. OK. I get that, I get it. I mean, without family, who the fuck are we? There was a time where I would do anything for my sister, you know?_**

"Of course." He declared.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

Citra smiled, her green eyes burning in the darkness.

**_First time I ever killed was for my sister._**

She waited for Vaas to return. A part of her felt strangely odd, like something was trying to break into her barriers and shove conscience down her throat. The other part of her felt void. Refreshingly detached. Crunching of feet caught her attention, and she stood up. Vaas emerged from out of the foliage, carrying a person over his shoulder.

He dropped the person down ungraciously. Tane groaned, his head lolling right to left, his wrists tied behind his back. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. She could see the confusion on his face.

"Vaas?... Citra?" He croaked, wincing as the purplish black bruise on the side of his head grazed the ground. "I don't understand.."

Citra placed the knife into her brother's hand. "He will reject us, Vaas. He is the only thing standing in our way."

Vaas gripped the knife tightly, and crouched over his uncle, a wild, unfocused look in his eyes. He brought the knife and held it over Tane's neck. Their uncle didn't say anything. Didn't plead, or beg for mercy. He only stared at Vaas.

The knife in his grip started to shake.

Citra noticed his hesitation and she crouched next to him, whispering into his ear, "He will keep us apart. He will stop you from becoming who you truly are. A god. To be worshipped, and loved." She stroked her fingers across his chin, making him look at her. "He is holding you back. Break free, Vaas. And then, I'll be yours."

Vaas pried his eyes away from his sister, and looked back at his uncle.

In one quick motion, he plunged the blade down into the man's throat. Tane's eyes bulged, his face turning red, as blood spurted like a water fountain. Vaas grunted, digging the knife deeper and twisting it. She watched the life drain from her uncle's eyes, a small smile on her face. Her eyes cold and emotionless.

Vaas pulled out the knife, and stabbed it down on the corpse's chest. His muscles bugled as he dragged the knife down, cutting open the torso. Flinging the knife away, he grabbed both sides, and ripped it open, exposing two, fleshy veined ribcages.

He reached in, and grabbed a hold of a no longer beating organ and ripped it out. Vaas handed the heart to Citra, and she took it.

**Not enough for her, no no no no no please.**

Citra smothered her whole body in blood, and crawled over her brother, straddling his hips. She felt high, higher than the heavens. Bending down, she pressed her naked chest flush against his, kissing him deeply. Blood smeared all over his chest, making both slick and wet.

_**You see the thing about our loved ones, right, our FUCKING loved ones, they come and they BLINDSIDE you every fucking time.** _

Citra slid her hands up and down his chest, feeling every bump and ridge of his muscles.

"You, are free Vaas. Now, we must consummate our love." She leaned down, lips brushing against his ear, "And then.. they'll accept us. They will worship you."

From underneath her, Vaas froze. He looked at her, then to the body a few feet away from them. Citra grunted when she fell back, Vaas having pushed her off. He stood up, eyes wide, and he ran his fingers through his short hair.

"What the fuck.. WHAT THE FUCK!" He shrieked, pacing across the ground erratically. "What the FUCK did I do!?"

Citra got up, dusting herself off. "You did what had to be done, Vaas. It was the only way."

Citra got up, dusting herself off. "You did what had to be done, Vaas. It was the only way."

"SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Vaas screamed, clutching his head. "Oh fuck, fuck, FUCK!"

"Vaas. What is wrong? You had to do it-"

"I was on fucking drugs! I still am!" He confessed.

Citra frowned, "Drugs? Drugs, you mean from the- the outsiders. The _privateers._" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her brother, her _brother. _The image of his perfection cracked inside her mind. "They killed father."

"I know! Do you think I don't fucking know that?!"

"Then why are you taking drugs from THEM!" She screamed. This couldn't be happening. This- this person in front of her couldn't be her brother. Her brother would never do this! He would never betray her like this!

"Because I thought they could help me!"

"Help you on what?!"

"Help me forget that you're my fucking _sister!_"

Citra stopped, her lips parting.

"I- I need to get away from this fucking place. It's driving me fucking crazy! _You're _making me FUCKING CRAZY!" Vaas shouted, finally letting out what he's felt inside for years. "You're a demon! A fucking beast! You're- you're a _bitch._"

Citra had kept quiet during his outburst, but cocked her head at the curse word.

"Where did you learn that word. From Hoyt Volker?" She knew of the man. His name was a vile thing spat in their tribe. Ever since he and his privateers arrived at their island, he's been selling drugs to their people, and to local, non-tribe communities. He's been an annoyance, but after their first attack to send them away, most of their men died. Including her father.

"You know what? He offered me fucking everything. Fucking everything I could ever want!"

"What is it? Whores, _money, _drugs? Hoyt Volker is a parasite and he could never give you what I can." She hissed.

Vaas threw his head back and laughed hysterically, "You know what he's offered me? Something I couldn't say no to." He stopped laughing. "A fucking ticket out of this fucking rock, and far, far away from you."

Those words stung. Felt like knives digging into her heart.

Her lips trembled, "You would leave me.. for them?"

His face was set in determination, but a flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.

"You would leave me, us. Your whole tribe, everything that father's died for. You would just abandon it."

"I- I.." Vaas faltered.

**_So they say to me, they say Vaas, Vaas, who the FUCK is it going to be? THEM or ME, ME or THEM?_**

She narrowed her eyes, her entire body shaking in cold fury. "Vaas. Vaas! Who is it going to be? Them! The outsiders you gave you _nothing. _Who never worshipped you, loved you like I have! Or me! ME! ME, who gave you EVERYTHING! Your sister! Your own blood!"

_**Like, like you know? Like they fucking think that I need to make a fucking choice.**_

Vaas stared long and hard at his sister. At what used to be the sister he knew.

"Fuck. You." He spat, and turned on his heels.

Citra felt her whole world shatter. Something deep, down inside her just.. snapped.

She laughed, smiling. "You think you can leave me? _Me_?" She walked to the mutilated corpse and picked up the bloodied knife. "You think you can just leave your DESTINY. Your BIRTHRIGHT?"

Citra's blood boiled. Her mind was going haywire. The universe she had carefully crafted around herself, her _fantasy, _burned.

She knocked Vaas down, pressing the knife to his neck, a deranged smile on her face. "You blame the drugs, me, but Vaas. It was all you. You _wanted _to kill Uncle. You _wanted _to gut him like a pig. I saw it in your eyes, Vaas. You and me... we're just the same. We both have the gift mother passed down on us."

Her entire demeanor changed, "Vaas. Why? Why, don't you want me like the other boys do? What is it? What have a done?! Am I not good enough for you! WHY DON'T YOU WANT ME!"

"Because you're my FUCKING SISTER!" Vaas screamed, "Don't you fucking get it!? It's wrong! It's all FUCKING wrong!"

"Then- then I don't have to be your sister." At this point, Citra was ready to do anything to stop Vaas from leaving her. "If that's what you want, then we can pretend we're not brother and sister. We're not even family!"

Vaas laughed, his adams apple bobbing against the knife.

"That would be so fucking easy. To FORGET that we are born from the SAME mother. That we GREW up TOGETHER. That I- that I fucking swore to always protect my little sister." His laughter died down to chuckles, looking sad and twisted, "I can never forget that you're my sister Citra. I'd rather leave this island than stay on it with you."

A tear slipped down her cheek, "Fine. Then so be it."

Vaas screamed in pain as she dragged the knife down from his head, across his eyebrow, and would've cut his eye if he didn't fling her off. The knife flew from her grip, landing a few feet away from them. Vaas staggered up, clutching his bleeding face. As Citra sat up from the floor, he ran, his body being swallowed up into the jungle.

"YOU WILL _NEVER_ FORGET ME!" She screamed into the night, "NEVER!"

Her screams of rage echoed throughout the jungle, following him. It would always follow him.

Citra screamed and screamed until her throat felt raw. She pulled at her hair, scratched her face and arms, pounded her fists on the ground. It was a blur to her. When she finally regained her sense, the sun was peaking its soft light over the dense jungle. Citra laid on the ground, her mind broken and her body numb. She felt her heart break, piece by piece, leaving her hollow inside.

Vaas.. Vaas.. He left her..

_it was all her fault_

He left because of her...

such pure clarity

No.. no he didn't leave.. Vaas was tricked, deceived. Hoyt Volker. It is all _his _fault. He took away her father, and now he had taken away her brother, too. Everything became clear to Citra. How could she have not seen it before. Hoyt Volker is the giant, risen again from the pond, to take away all the beauty of this island. And their warrior, their savior, had been lured away. Drowned.

all your fault

Hoyt Volker must be stopped. Some one had to save their island. She had to save her warrior. He had simply.. lost his way.

The Rakyat people will not bow down to this giant. Citra will lead her people to victory. She will cut off Volker's head, and drink his blood from his skull. This is their island. And when they win, Vaas will stand by her side, and rule their people like a god. Like he was supposed to.

A fire burned where her heart used to be.

Citra was ready. The warrior goddess has been reborn.

_**By the way, this lighter, this lighter really sucks.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next few years, Citra had grown, taking Vaas' place as leader of the tribe. She perfected her skills, not only in battle but in speech. They say she had a way with the people; her words can evoke hope and courage. With her help, she organized a revolt against Hoyt Volker's mercenary militia that had conquered their neighboring island to the South. But it did not matter to her. Their homeland, the heart of the Rakyat, resided in the North Island.

Citra explained what happened to her uncle to the elders. Tane had grown worried of where they were, and went out to look for them. They, she and Vaas, heard gunshots in the distance, and decided to go investigate. When they arrived, it was too late. Hoyt Volker's privateers had murdered their uncle, and when they tried to avenge him, they beat them down. She told them they had knocked her unconscious, and when she awoke Vaas was gone. They had captured him, and set her uncle's body on fire.

With venom hatred in her eyes, she swore she will kill them all. It was not hard rising through the ranks, until she was one of the most respected warriors in the tribe. But she needed to be stronger. She needed to be their leader. So when Vaas returns she will hand me the position, and everything will be right in the world. So she secluded herself with their priests and oracles, learning the ways of nature. She learned many things, and her connection with the gods amplified.

When she finally came back to the people, she was reborn as Citra Talugmai, taking her mother's maiden name. Some of the older warriors who fought during the old war remembered Talugmai and the power she gave to her people. She gained followers, people started believing in her. Citra became the symbol of freedom. Of their tribes old glory! A hope for a new day. The real reason she changed her last name, was to officially state that she was no longer a Montenegro. That she wasn't.. related to Vaas.

Not one person wanted to defeat Hoyt more than Citra. She led the very first assault attacks on enemy camps, blew up their shipments, rescued the captives, and made sure not a single privateer was left alive. But as time went on, it grew harder and harder to push back the advancing forces. The privateers, they had guns, bombs, better and more advanced weapons. All they had were their bows and spears.

Citra tried to use their knowledge of the jungle to their advantage, but it was of no use. For each privateer they killed, five Rakyat warriors died. She hated to admit it, but she didn't know what to do. Their enemy was stronger than them. But she couldn't give up. The only thing keeping her going was to bring her lost brother home. True to his claim, Vaas had disappeared. Simply vanished.

She mourned him every night, and not a day has gone by without thinking about him. It tore her up in the inside. And her hatred for Volker grew. No, not only for the kingpin, but for all outsiders. They come, and they destroy. They take! They take everything away! Honor, glory, her FAMILY. Everything! She hated them! She hated them all! They ruined her life. It was all their fault.

So it came as no surprise when she rebuffed a dark-skinned man, who talked about guns and ammo. Like the great, mighty Rakyat warriors needed such trivial things.

"Please! I can help you!" The outsider pleaded. "Just give me a chance. I can prove it!"

He sounded so desperate, that Citra stopped in her tracks, and turned around.

She raised a brow, crossing her arms, "Really? You think we, the Rakyat, need your guns? Your, little bullets?" She spoke in broken English. There has been a new wave of foreigners, mostly English speakers, and she learned some of their language. It came in handy on situations like this.

"The men, the people you are fighting. I've seen this all before. I was born in it. And I've seen what happened to the people who had no help. Who were left with nothing but their hopes and dreams. Back then, I was just a boy. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save my mother or my sisters." He bowed his head, a pained look crossing his face. "On that day, I made a promise to myself. A promise that if I ever see someone, anyone fighting for their home! Their families! I would help them, even if I die! I will die knowing I've done something right."

The man's speech moved Citra, in a way. She could.. relate. Citra couldn't do anything to save her father, and she would die for her brother.

Strolling up to him, she lifted his chin, "What is your name?"

"Dennis. Dennis Rogers." Dennis answered, clearing his throat.

Citra pursed her lips, sizing the man up. He spoke with much passion, and looking into his eyes, she could tell he truly wanted to help them.

"Fine. Show us, this, weapons supply."

She and her personal guards followed the outsider to the docks by a local town. Tied to one of the poles was a foreign looking boat, made out of some kind of metal instead of wood. Dennis led them down under deck, and when Citra stepped inside, she was amazed.

"It looks like you've brought enough guns for an army." She commented, looking around the room. Different sizes of guns hanged on the walls, or laid on tables, and loads of large cases filled with ammo were stacked against the walls.

"Yeah, I actually heard about what was going on here by some of friends. Who heard it from your guy Volker. They got requests for mercenaries to join his campaign against 'crazy tribals' on the Rook Islands. Couldn't stand it, so I brought everything I managed to collect. But don't worry, this isn't all that I brought. I got some buddies back at the states who wouldn't mind trading, or smuggling, guns to you guys."

Citra picked one small gun up, raising it to eye level.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Dennis said alarmed, quickly lowering her arm. The guards stepped forward, drawing their machetes but Citra raised a hand, halting them.

"This," She said, examining the pistol, "Will do. But, do not think this makes you one of us Dennis Rogers. You are still an outsider." She placed the gun back and started for the exit.

"I'm just happy you guys are letting me even help." Dennis called after her, making her stop in her tracks.

Citra kept her face neutral, but inside she was starting to not dislike the man. Without saying anything, she continued up the stairs, but shifted away when a white man rushed in.

"Oh! Hello maam." He greeted as he passed her. She raised a brow but ignored him and climbed the rest of the steps up.

"Chris, you're back. Did you find a hotel?" She heard Dennis ask. The answer was lost to her since she exited the boat.

For the next few weeks, all the supplies were transported from the boat to the Rakyat base. Dennis, and his companion Chris, took the position of teachers, training her warriors on how to aim, shoot, and not miss horribly. Citra herself, was at first not the best with foreign made guns, but just like the rest, she got the hang of it. When Privateers started causing trouble, she was hesitant to send her men into battle. It would be their first time battling with guns.

But her worries were for naught. They succeeded in driving Volker's forces back, and even off their shore. Citra even got to blow one of their ships up with a rocket launcher. They celebrated that night, and the outsiders became allies. Not brothers, but not total complete strangers either.

"My Queen." Dennis greeted respectively.

"Dennis." She responded, just to really tell him she acknowledges his presence, but she didn't want anything to do with him.

"Why aren't you drinking? Enjoying yourself? We've just won a great battle. Hoyt Volker knows now that we are a threat to be reckoned with."

Citra crossed her arms, shifting her weight on one foot, "I prefer to watch my people be happy, because tomorrow will bring new pain, and blood. And I will be there for them."

Dennis looked at her, a thoughtful look on his face, "You really are selfless. Well, more than most people that I know."

"Does that surprise you?" She asked.

"No. No it's just.. I've never met someone so dedicated to their people."

"I would die for them, just like they would die for me. This is our home. We cannot let some giant take it all away from us."

They fell silent, watching the dancing natives.

"Speaking of people, I know you don't want to hear this but hear me out. The townsfolk on the island want to fight back as well-"

Citra snorted waving her hand dismissively, "I told you. We do not fight with others not of the Rakyat."

"But they want to help! You're not only the only ones getting oppressed here. Volker and his Privateers are killing, raping and burning their houses down. Many innocent people have lost their lives, their families, their business'! And they're sick of it all. Citra they are willing to fight back, but they cannot do it alone. Without a proper army they are sitting ducks out there. Some don't even know how to shoot an arrow!"

"I do not care. If they want to fight, then good. But the Rakyat cannot help them." Citra said coldly. It was cruel, but she could no allow it. She had to only concentrate on her people, who were dying as well.

"I heard about this legend your tribe believes in. About a warrior who killed a giant. He didn't do it for money, or fame. They say he did it only to clear the pond so that others could enjoy its beauty without fear. His descendants became the Rakyat warriors, and as his legacy shouldn't the Rakyat do the same?"

"Ha! And what will you tell me next, that my warriors should start riding mechanical beasts?"

"It's cars, and actually that isn't such a bad idea."

She threw her hand up, and walked away.

"Will you at least think about it! The Rakyat aren't the only ones suffering."

Citra didn't respond, shaking her head. The man was a sympathizer, something she was taught at a young age not to be. The Rakyat stay together, and fight together. That is how it has been for centuries. That was how her people stayed alive throughout their dark history. They are survivors. They outlasted foreign tyrants after another. The Rakyat people are strong! Mighty!

But were they indifferent?

Dennis' words echoed in her head, as she laid on her bed. Was it their responsibility, as warriors, to help the defenseless. Even if they weren't part of their tribe. The townsfolk were not enemies, and had lived in peace on their island. They do not deserve the tragedy that has befallen them. Especially from Hoyt Volker. Anyone against him and his men were friends to her.

Citra..

She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back frustrated tears. She hated it! She hated hearing him calling for her, when she knew he isn't here. It re-opened old wounds, emotions she didn't want to feel again. Because it tore her apart. How could he leave her! It's been years and the pain felt as fresh has it had been that night in the jungle.

Gods it felt like every inch of her body missed him. She missed him so much. Citra tried believing the lie she told, she tried and tried but she couldn't deceive herself. Vaas was never kidnapped. He left. No- no he was lured away. Brain-washed. Tricked. Vaas would never leave her in his right of mind.

he wouldn't dare

Citra breathed in and out, calming herself. She had to stay strong. For her people, and for herself. When Vaas returns and take his rightful place, then she could be finally at ease.

Exhausted from the night's events she drifted off, dreaming of clear green eyes.

000

_"... the giant's head clean off its body! The skull of the giant fell to earth and became our island. The descendants of the warrior became the Rakyat. Our people." _

_The elderly priest finished, her old eyes twinkling at the sight of the wonder in the eyes of the children. They all sat huddled around her, and when she finished questions were fired at her all at once. But one gentle girl raised her small hand, and the elder nodded her head in acknowledgement._

_"Great Mother, what happened to the warrior?" _

_"What happens to all of us, my child. Time. The warrior led a great, and long life, but in the end time always win. Time is no enemy, nor a friend. It is simply something in the universe that all man knows to welcome him home." The elder answered. _

_The girl frowned, "But that is no fair. He is stronger than anything." _

_"He is. That is why the Rakyat are strong. In each of you, he lives inside. All of you have the spirit of the warrior." The old lady said wisely, enjoying the way their little eyes lit up. "Now, off with you! I'm tired, and I need my sleep. Go." _

_The small kids scuttled off, running through the streets, and out into the grassy fields. _

_"Listen, listen. I am the warrior. I'm the strongest of the tribe!" One of the boys said, grabbing a stick and held it in the air like a sword. _

_"No, I am the warrior. I am the bravest!" Another kid yelled, snatching his own stick. By soon, all the boys were claiming they were the warrior, all trying to one up the other. _

_"Quiet! I am the warrior and anyone who says no will fight me!" _

_The girls sat in the flowers watching the boys fight each other with their sticks. One boy who was fighting, walked to the girls, and tapped one of the shoulder. _

_"Let's go." Vaas said. _

_Citra got up immediately, and the two kids left the group to explore the jungle by themselves. Under the shades, they ran, pretending to be their own warriors chasing after retreating enemies. Citra flew over upturned roots, her bare feet kicking damp soil in the air. A sound made her stop. Hanging off a lone branch, a small, young monkey cocked its head at her. _

_She stared back, and held out her arms. The small monkey instantly pounced on her arms, hanging off it like a branch. Citra giggled, continuing aimlessly while playing with the animal. It climbed up her arm to perch on her shoulder, picking at her dirty hair. She sat by a small river, and plucked the little monkey off. _

_"You're dirty, too. You need a bath." She said, and placed it in the water. It sat without a care in the world as she washed its little body. _

_Vaas found his sister sitting by the stream, and as silent as a child could, creep up behind her. But when he peeked over her shoulder he stopped. _

_"I think it's dead." He commented, upon seeing the still monkey face down, Citra holding its head under the water. She picked it up by the arm, and shook it. _

_"I thought he could breathe like the fishes." She said sadly, laying the dead monkey on the ground. _

_A stomp on its head made the fragile skull break, pink squishy brain matter exploding everywhere. Citra made a face, while Vaas cleaned his flat sandal on the ground. The two hovered over the disfigured corpse, and Vaas poked its flattened head with a stick. _

_"I dare you to eat it." He said. _

_"I dare you to eat it." She shot back. _

_"We both eat it." Vaas compromised. _

_Citra made a face, but nodded her head. The two plucked a small, squishy chunk, and held it to their mouths, and stuck it in. A second after they spat it out, wiping the taste off their tongues on their arms. _

_"Vaas?"_

_"Mh."_

_"Who do you think is the warrior." _

_Vaas shrugged, inspecting the dead animal. He picked up the limp arm and let it drop. A devious smile pulled at his lips. _

_When they joined back with the group of kids, the Montenegro siblings marched up to the arguing boys._

_"Shut up!" Vaas shouted at them, and they stopped their bickering. "You all think you're the warrior. Well.." He motioned to his sister, who held something behind her back. With his signal, she held out the dead monkey. All the boys stepped back with disgusted looks. _

_"The warrior would've eaten this." Vaas dug his fingers into the squished head and tore out a chunk of brain. "You all think you're the warrior, well prove it. Eat it."_

_The boys looked at Vaas incredulously, and then at each other. One by one, they stepped forward and took chunks of the brain._

_"I'm not scared."_

_"Then you eat it first."_

_"No, you first!"_

_"I will eat it!"_

_Vaas and Citra watched with amusement as the boys stuck it in their mouths, and then promptly started gagging and spitting the horrendous flesh out. Vaas took the monkey out of her hand and ran at them, shaking the corpse in their faces. The boys panicked and ran, Vaas chasing them for a short while before jogging back to her. Citra laughed as Vaas threw the corpse at the girls, making them scream and run away too. _

_"What's their problem. It's dead." Vaas muttered, walking to pick up the body. He rejoined his sister and they sat in the flowers, poking and playing with it. Citra coated her finger in blood, and drew small patterns on her brother's chest._

_She smiled, "I am covering you with tatau. Just like the warrior." _

_"Then if I am the warrior, you must be the giant." Vaas speculated. _

_Citra pouted and shook her head, "No! You're bigger than me. You are the giant." _

_"Then you must be the warrior!"_

_"I can't be the warrior, you are!" _

_"I can't be both." Vaas said, "You are the warrior.. and I am the giant!" He yelled the last part out, lunging at his sister. Citra squealed, and they wrestled on the ground. Desperate, Citra managed to grab a stick and poke it at his chest, right where his heart is. He gasped, and fell over, holding the stick like it was actually impaled in his heart. _

_"Citra, you killed me." Vaas whispered out hoarsely, his face twisting in fake pain. _

_She sat beside him, placing his head on her lap. "No I didn't. The warrior cannot die."_

_Citra leaned down and pecked his lips innocently, "All better." _

_Vaas didn't think any of it, and they stayed like that under the huge, soft clouds. Citra stroked his forehead as he twirled the stick in the air, pretending the clouds were creatures. The warm air, the smell of soil, and her soft touches, all made him fall into a sweet sleep. _

000

Citra sat outside in her balcony, gazing at the jungle in all its quietness during the early morning when the air was still foggy and damp. She was lost in thought, when her guard burst into her chambers.

He kneeled down respectively, "My Queen, Dennis Rogers has asked for you. He says it is urgent."

Citra sliced off a chunk of mango and ate it with the knife like a fork, "What does he want?"

"He didn't say."

Citra swallowed down the sweet fruit and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, sheathing the knife, "Where is he?"

"Waiting for you outside the temple."

She tossed the half-eaten mango back on the fruit bowl and exited her chambers. What ever Dennis wanted to talk about so urgently must be of some importance. She hates it when people waste her time.

"Citra!" Dennis exclaimed upon catching sight of her.

"What is it that you want?" Citra said.

"One of the towns is under attack. We have to help them!"

Citra frowned, crossing her arms, "Privateers?" So soon? She thought with last night's battle they wouldn't dare show their faces around her island so quickly. Volker must be extremely arrogant, or remorseless over the deaths, and will be deaths, of his men.

Dennis shook his head, "No, I don't think so. These men, they do not look like Privateers."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. What did he mean, not look like Privateers. It had to be them. Who else would be attacking their island?

"Which town?" She asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Amanaki. Please, you have to help them. They're dying out there!"

Citra frowned. Should she? If they go, then her people would die for others. But.. she would be letting innocents die. She was torn, one voice telling her to forget them, and the other pleading for her sympathy. Closing her eyes, she thought about what Dennis had said. Maybe.. maybe it was the Rakyat's divine right to help the weaker. It was, after all, their island.

"Fine. It will be done." She said at last, "Meet us over there."

"Thank you, thank you." Dennis said, and jogged off.

In record time, she rallied a group of of men and they made their way to the town. From a distance, she could see black smoke curling up into the air, and hear the faint sound of gunshots and screaming. Wordlessly, she ordered half of the men to circle to the other side. With the rest, they silently crept to the very edges, Citra stopping on a cliff that over-looked the burning town.

Dennis and Chris crouched beside her. She watched the villagers, some fleeing and others trying to fight back. Houses were on fire, and the streets were ruined. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was who were doing the attack that made her frown.

"You see, they do not look like Volker's men." Dennis said.

They certainly did not. Their was an obvious difference. Volker's men were easily identified with their black, armored suits, but these men.. they looked ragged. Slightly unprofessional, but non-the-less dangerous. One thing she noted, were that all the men wore red.

"It must be some kind of gang." Chris whispered, setting down the binoculars.

Citra glowered, and drew her bow. With years of practice, she let the arrow fly loose, zooming through the air and hitting one straight through the neck, who was about to rape a woman. A horn blew, and the Rakyat warriors poured in from the jungle, descending like eagles on their prey. Citra jumped from the cliff, and when her feet touched the ground she rolled to lessen the impact.

Back on her feet, she drew her bow and shot one at the nearest enemy. The town exploded in deafening gunshots, and she could hear the war cries of her brothers fighting along side her. Citra shot as many as she could with her bow until her arrows ran out. In one quick motion, she climbed onto the nearest building and jogged to the edge. As if on cue, three red, wearing men ran past her, and she wasted no time on jumping down.

Knife in the ready, she landed on the last one and slit his throat. The others noticed, and turned around guns raising but she threw her knife, spearing one in the throat. With the other, she had to twist her body as bullets went flying by. Citra retaliated by whipping out her shot gun, and shot him three times until he fell back dead. Something whizzed past her ear, and she snapped her head up to see another group of enemies rounding the corner.

Quickly, she booked it, sliding around a corner just as loads of bullets pelted at her, chunks of concrete exploding. Citra pressed against the wall waiting out the rain of bullets. It stopped for a moment, and something flew by, hitting the wall opposite of her and landing on the ground. She had a second to register what it was, before picking the grenade up and chucking it back at the group.

"OH FUCK!"

Body parts flew up in the air, landing with squelches. She left her cover and jogged deeper into the town, killing a few here and there. Aside from a few scratches, she was fine. That is until she entered out into the town square, where she came upon one heavily armored enemy. The man twirled his machete and marched at her. She shot two bullets at his head, but they just bounced off the helmet like nothing.

She kept shooting him, backing up but it was no use. It was like trying to stab water. The guy wasn't taking any damage, and her gun just clicked empty. Citra flung the thing away, taking out her knife. The armored enemy strode up to her, and because of his slow movements, she had time to dodge his first swipe and get in a stab in the chinks.

"Oomph!"

The guy hit her swinging his arm back, sending her flying through the air and rolling to a stop. Her head buzzed, and she grit her teeth. Her senses screamed at her to look up and she did, and barely dodged a machete aimed down on her head. She got back on her feet, and sliced the back of his ankle deeply. She dodged another kick and skittered back, moving her body so as not to be cut by the waving machete.

He slashed sideways, and she had to lean back, the sharp machete gliding right over her nose. When she corrected herself, a boot kicked her right in the chest. Citra's eyes bulged. It felt like all the air had just left her lungs. She landed hard, her head bouncing on the ground. Wheezing, she tried to get up but she couldn't. She just had the wind knocked out of her.

Through her foggy head, she groped for her knife. Citra screwed her face up in pain as the man stepped on her hand, threatening to break fingers. Despite her bad position, she glared at him fiercely, barring her teeth. She heard him laugh and pressed down harder on her fingers. He raised the machete over his head, cutting the view of the sun. For a moment, the very real realization of death, that yes she was about to die, flashed through her head. Fear override her system, but she swallowed it down, replacing it with cold, defying fury.

If she were to die, then she'll die like a warrior.

She screamed, one last scream, refusing to close her eyes as the machete swung down.

Citra..

"CITRA!"

A loud bang, and the armored enemy went stumbling forward. Dennis reloaded the shotgun, and aimed again. Citra, adrenaline filled, rolled away from the life of fire and got back up, flexing her bruised fingers. The power of the bullets kept pushing the armored man back, but not penetrating through.

"Shit! Shit shit shit!" Dennis cursed as he ran out of bullets. He fumbled in his jacket and started reloading. The enemy got his composure back and started for Dennis, who was still trying to reload, and panicked when he saw the advancing enemy. Citra thought quickly. She couldn't face him one on one again, he was way too strong. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted supply crates and on top...

Dennis was backing up furiously, shooting mag after another but it just bounced off the chest armor. His heart dropped when the gun clicked empty again, and he once again fumbled for more bullets. For that time, the armored man moved quickly and grabbed Dennis' shirt, holding him up in the air. He was about to slash the machete across his belly when Citra jumped onto his back.

She ripped up the helmet, and shoved a grenade inside his mouth. She slammed the helmet back down, and jumped off.

"GRENADE!" She shouted over her shoulder, letting Dennis book it away.

The bomb went off with a loud BOOM! The force of the blast pushed her off her feet. Blood fell down like rain, and chunks of flesh were everywhere. A bit shaken, Citra got up, brushing dirt off herself.

"You alright?" Dennis asked, coming up beside her, dust covering parts of his lens.

"Ye-"

Dennis screamed as a bullet tore through his leg. Citra reacted quickly, catching him and slinging his arm over her shoulder.

"There over there!"

She didn't have to look behind her to know a new batch of enemies entered the area. The bomb must have brought unwanted attraction. Guns flew at them, and thank the gods but somehow they weren't shot. She managed to help Dennis into one of the evacuated houses, taking cover from there.

"Ah, fuck fuck fuck!" Dennis hissed, pressing down on the bleeding hole.

"Stay still." Citra ordered, as she ripped a strip from his loose, cloth jacket and wrapped it around his shaking leg. She tied it good, remembering what Dennis had taught on how to treat a bullet wound. More gunshots beat at the house, shattering glass and destroying anything on the tables.

"Shit, shit how many are there?" Dennis asked, keeping pressure on the wound.

"Hold on," Citra waited until the shots stopped, and peeked over the window. In the distance, maybe two houses down, were about five armed enemies, and too make it worse, a truck with a machine gun attached on it.

"Too many." She said, ducking back down. There was way too many to take on, and she had an injured with her. Glancing around the room they were in, she saw there was no back door.

Dennis must of noticed this too because he cursed, "Shit, we're trapped. Did you have any more grenades?"

"No, I didn't think of getting more." Citra grabbed the shotgun, and looked over the window again- to duck down as another rain of bullets sprayed the house. Citra kept her head low, and waited for it to end.

"Shit what do you we do? Where's your men?" Dennis whispered harshly when the gunshots stopped.

"I do not know." They must be busy somewhere else, and it would be a while before any help will arrive. But they didn't have time to spare. Citra swept the room again, but nothing. They were cornered. Citra re-checked the ammo in the shotgun. Only three left. That wasn't enough to fight back if she tried.

"Hey! Hey motherfuckers! We know you're in there!" Someone shouted, and she could hear them laughing. She didn't bother to reply.

"Hey! Hermano! Lets make a deal huh? You two come out, and we'll only shoot one of you. How does that sound? Fair deal, right?"

Citra frowned in disgust. Not at the unfairness of the deal, but at the way the man said it. Like him saying he would kill one of them was like a joke.

"I see you uh, did one on my friend here. Bloosh!" He laughed.

"This guy's fucking crazy." Dennis whispered, hearing all this too.

"HEY! Come the fuck on! If you don't come out we're just gonna blow you fuckers sky high, you got that? I'm giving you fuckers a choice!"

Citra gripped the shotgun tighter, and looked at Dennis, "I will go out. You stay here."

She made to stand up, but Dennis grabbed her arm, "What?! Are you crazy, they'll kill you!"

"You heard him. We will both die if we stay. I will stall them for as long as I can until my warriors find us." She said, jerking her arm out of his grasp.

"Citra! Citra stop-"

But she was already opening the door. Sunlight blinded her briefly, and she had to blink a few times for her eyes to adjust. When they did, she squinted at the group of men.

"Well that's more fucking like it..." Whatever the man was going to say died in his throat.

Citra stopped... and stared.

"Vaas?" His name fell from her lips. The whole world stopped, her brain stopped, everything just froze.

It was like she was looking into a tunnel, and at the end his face was the only thing she could see. His face.. his face.. Vaas Vaas it was him this had to be a hallucination-

Gunshots exploded, Rakyat warriors falling from buildings over the group. In slow motion, she tore her eyes away from her brother to see a rocket speeding at her.

"NO!"

Citra couldn't move, or she tried but she felt sluggish, slow. Something hit her on the side, sending her down. A body- Dennis- covered her and the rocket sped through the window. It felt like an earthquake, and the blast was so loud. Dust, rock concrete sprayed all over them. A loud ringing filled her ears, and gods everything was so dusty it hurt her eyes.

Vaas... Vaas..

His name repeated in her mind. It was him. It was actually him.

Her lungs burned, and that was then she realized she wasn't breathing, so she opened her mouth and sucked in dusty air.

"..itra..Citra...Citra!"

Someone was shaking her, and she refocused her eyes to see Dennis. His whole body was covered in grey powder, and she assumed she looked the same too.

"Citra, Citra come on say something!"

The world came rushing back to her. The ringing vanished, replaced with chaos.

"Vaas.." She coughed, her eyes searching desperately for her brother. The whole world felt like it was spinning, and it was so hard to focus but she saw him- she saw him he was real he's real! Vaas, her brother, her love he was there. She could hear him screaming, and she watched as Vaas pulled out his gun and shot the guy who had the rocket launcher in the head.

"Citra you gotta get up, come on! We got to get out of here!" Dennis shouted, but he sounded so far away.

"Vaas." She whispered, reaching out for him. She wanted to touch him, to see if he was real, if he was truly real.

don't leave me

Citra..

"Citra! Citra snap out of it." Dennis shook her shoulders, and held his hand to her cheek.

At that same moment, clear as day, Vaas turned around and looked straight at her. His face was a mix of fury, then slow confusion, and just plain shock. His green eyes, she felt like they were sucking her soul away. And then he looked away from her to Dennis.

"Citra please get up! We need to go now!"

Numbly she did, never once taking her eyes off her brother. Rakyat warriors starting piling in, having been attracted by the huge blast. Vaas looked away from Dennis and back to her. The look in his eyes...

It sent shivers down her spine. Struck her right to her core. Hatred. Raw hatred. And it was all directed at her.

Vaas started emptying out bullets on her warriors, but there were too many of them, and she watched as he climbed into the car with the rest of his gang and drove off. They were screaming and hollering, and out the window fell something red. Citra walked slowly, passing by the cheering warriors, and picked up the flag. Painted messily on it, was what looked to be a single eye, a pupil, and three stakes on top to represent eyelashes.

"Citra, you better come have a look at this." Dennis called.

She curled up the flag, and walked over to Dennis. On the wall of a house, spray painted in red, were the words: PIRATES WERE HERE!

"Pirates.." She mouthed.

"Pirates." Dennis repeated the word as if it were a bad taste in his mouth.

"What are pirates? What do they want?" Why is Vaas with them?

"I don't know what they want. But I think, and this is just a hunch, that Volker put these men up to it. Pirates usually don't do anything unless it's for money. I know, I've faced them before back in Liberia. Different group, same purpose."

"You think Volker is paying them?" Citra asked.

Dennis shrugged, "Who knows. Pirates are wild, and they don't take orders from nobod-" He hissed, the pain from his bullet wound flaring.

Citra frowned and helped Dennis to rest on a creaky bench.

"Find a doctor." She ordered one of the men.

"Ah, wow I forgot how much this hurts." Dennis wheezed.

"You have been shot before?" Citra asked.

Dennis nodded his sweating head, taking off his glasses to clean them before putting them back on the ridge of his nose. "Yes, once back where I lived. I was a child, and I was caught in a crossfire. Got hit right in the arm. I would've bled to death it it weren't for one of the men finding me."

The warrior came back with a disheveled lady, who immediately got to work on Dennis' leg. Citra backed off, watching them for a moment before leaving to take care the mess of the town. It was in ruins, and the town square looked like a battle zone. Which it kinda was.

"Where are all the villagers?" She asked.

"Outside, by the river." One of the warriors answered.

She nodded her head, looking around at the ruins, "Good. Tend to the wounded. Stop the fires from spreading. Make sure none of the Pirates are still around. And if you find any do not kill them. Bring them to me instead." She ordered, and the warriors got to it.

For the rest of the day they spent cleaning up the after affects of the battle. Citra sat up on one of the buildings, preferring to be left alone. She stared at the sinking sun lost in thought. Vaas. She still couldn't come to terms with seeing her brother again. It felt unreal, like the whole thing was a dream.

She unfurled the red flag, letting it remind her that yes, what happened did happen. Which didn't make her feel any better. Because then that would mean Vaas was part of the pirates. She knew what she saw, there was no point in lying. Her chest ached, and her head started to buzz again.

Vaas, it couldn't be. He would never- never.

Citra climbed down the house, suddenly feeling the need to walk and clear her mind. She hated it when her head started to.. go.. fuzzy. She didn't know how to explain it. It just felt weird. It bothered her. She mentioned it once to the priests. They told her it was her connection to the gods.

Citra had ordered all the villagers to be horded into the town square, where she stood up on a platform and raised her arms.

"You all are now under the protection of the Rakyat. Our people! Do not fear, our enemies-" She held out the flag, "Will burn! The Pirates, and the Privateers will not harm our people! We will drive them off _our _island!" The warriors raised their guns and roared, shooting stray bullets in the air. She turned, and threw the flag into a burning bowl.

Citra swept her gaze over her people. To see them react to her words, it gave her a sense of power. For a second, she thought Vaas was there, standing in the crowd, but she blinked and it was someone else. To distract the villagers from the tragedy of the day, music started up, and food was passed around. The lights hanging off the trees still worked, twinkling like stars. To Citra, it meant the generator was still working.

Again, she watched from afar the joy seeping back into the despairing people.

"Citra, I've been looking for you." Dennis said, coming up beside her with a limp, and a makeshift crutch. "I wanted to say thank you. You saved my life back there."

She raised a brow, "You saved my life, twice. It is I who should be thanking you. But I do not think that is all you came here for."

Dennis scratched the back of his neck, "Yes, I just wanted to ask if you've seen Chris. I thought he was with the rest of the group but they haven't seen him either."

Citra frowned, shaking her head, "I am sorry but I have not seen your friend."

Right as she finished, two warriors with a villager came up to them. The man looked skittish, but unharmed.

"What is it? Speak." Citra ordered when the man didn't say anything.

"We found him outside. Said the Pirates let him free to give you something." One of the warriors explained, nudging the man.

With trembling hands, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a.. camcorder? She took it and examined it.

"Not here. Is their a projection room anywhere?" Dennis said, and the man nodded, eyes flickering everywhere. They followed the man inside on of the houses that wasn't destroyed and inside was a projection screen.

"We use it for the kids to watch movies." The man explained.

Citra gave the man the camcorder and he did something with it that Citra had no clue, but it seemed to work. In the dark of the room, the projector turned on, lighting the screen up. She heard Dennis suck in air.

It was a video, and playing on it was Chris, sitting tied to a chair, a gag wrapped around his mouth. He looked to be unconscious, and in really bad shape. Blood was everywhere, and his right eye was swollen purple. Then whistling filled the room, and in stepped a man. His shoulders and up were out of view of the camcorder, but they could all clearly see the gun in his hand.

"Wakey wakey." The man said, and Citra had to stop herself from saying Vaas. He laughed, nudging Chris with the gun.

"Wake the fuck up!" In a flash, Vaas slapped the man awake. Chris' eyes shot open, and he immediately started trembling, making pathetic whimpers. Chris was trying to say something, but it was muffled.

"Sorry, sorry hold on. What was that?" Vaas asked, tugging down the gag.

"Please- please please don't kill please. Oh god please ple-" Another slap, and Citra could hear the smack.

"Speak up. I can't hear you." Vaas crouched down, and she could see him.

Chris couldn't talk. He was crying, bowing his head in shame. Vaas waited for a moment, and then chuckled. He looked towards the camera, and Citra felt her whole body go numb. She could see him more clearly now and hes changed so much. He barely looked like the brother in her memories.

He looked wild. Savage. His eyes shone with clear insanity. He even sounded different. He spoke with an accent she couldn't identify.

Vaas lightly slapped Chris' cheek, "Hey, hey look at the camera. Look at the camera."

Chris did, tears and snot running down his bruised face. Vaas smiled at the viewers, and Citra forgot how charming his smile was. It made her heart melt.

"Hey hermano, the one with my sister back there. You watching this? You should be. I made it just for you." Vaas walked to the camera and picked it up. "Yeah I saw you. From uh, from your friend here, he told me everything. You know I wouldn't have believed you if you told me that you wanted to help my sis and her.. little tantrum just from the good of your heart. Really. Fucking really."

Vaas chuckled, setting the camera down somewhere higher so they could see him and Chris.

"You know I thought she had to fucking bribe you. Maybe she did huh.." His face darkened, "But, but unfortunately for your friend here, I don't believe him."

Chris instantly made a choking sound, and started blubbering about how he was telling the truth and please please don't hurt him.

"SHUTUP!" Vaas screamed, slamming the end of his gun on Chris' temple. "Huh, big boy? You FUCKED my sister? HUH?!" Rage twisted his face, and Vaas' chest heaved up and down. A second he was furious the next he was laughing good naturally. "Well jokes on you, fucker. She got a disease called bitch and you got it too, bitch."

Citra was only offended at the fact he thought she would offer herself to another. She thought she made it clear she was his and only his.

Vaas scratched his head with the gun, and swaggered over to Chris.

"Well, hermano you see if you fucked her. Then I, as obligatory, must fuck your friend here."

"No! No, no, no please nonono-" Chris cried, struggling against his bonds.

Vaas grinned and ran his fingers through Chris' hair. And placed the gun by the side of his head and pulled the trigger. Blood, and brain matter exploded to the side, Chris' entire half of his skull blow to bits. Dennis slammed his fist down, startling Citra for a second. She forget he was even there. She was just so focused on Vaas.

"I'm going to kill him!" Dennis seethed, his entire body shaking with rage.

Still recording, Vaas laughed, wiping the blood off his face and sucked on one bloodied finger.

"I bet you fuckers thought this was going to be a porno. I guess you could say I fucked his brains out." Vaas picked up the camera again and from the screens point of view, he seemed to walk out of the room. Outside, he panned the camera around, and Citra instantly knew where he was. He was at the old fishing market, the one where the houses and bridges were built over the water.

"You know where I am. So hermano, why don't you come here and you can avenge your friend. I'll be here. Waiting nicely for you. We can make this a threesome." Vaas kissed goodbye and the recording stopped.

Faster than Dennis, she slammed the door shut.

"Citra." Dennis said, anger in his tone.

Citra crossed her arms, "You will not go. We all know it is a trap. And you're injured. Vaas will kill you quickly."

"He killed Chris!" Dennis roared, his nostrils flaring.

"And if you want to avenge him you must wait. Heal." Citra talked, but Vaas was still in her mind. She just.. couldn't get him out of her head. Seeing him again.. it made her body tingle with want. Rakyat men were men when they did their trial of the hunt. Even thought Vaas left before that, there was no denying he was a man now. She wondered if he noticed that of her too.

Dennis searched her eyes, and she saw the flames die down.

"OK. I will, but once I get better I will go after him and I _will _kill him. I swear upon it."

Citra could only think how pretty Vaas' scar turned out.

000

Back in her private chambers, she laid out all the items she collected back in the town. Sitting in front of a mirror, she grabbed a small, sharp knife and slowly cut off each dread on the sides of her head until it looked exactly like Vaas'. Next she got out the cheap, black makeup and smeared it over her eyelids, and underneath. Proudly, she checked herself in the mirror. Now she had the dark bags under his eyes.

what have they done to you

He looked like the drug addicts she helped cure back with the priests. She found the idea of being dependent, no addicted to powder horrifying. It hurt her so much that she couldn't help Vaas at the moment but soon she will.

Oh! She almost forgot the last thing.

Picking up a sharp needle, she tore it through her soft ear cartilage. Sharp pain, and blood streamed down her neck but she didn't care. She didn't feel it. Vaas had piercings. She has piercings.

She felt closer to him already.


	5. Chapter 5

"Tell me. Has Vaas ever talked about me?"

"Fuck you, you bitch!"

Citra cocked her head, the tips of her lips curling upwards, "Bitch.. I've always hated that word."

The pirate screamed as she cut off his ear. They just never listen, so why should they have ears? She contemplated on cutting the other one off, but she needed him to hear her.

"Has he ever mentioned me?"

The pirate they managed to capture wheezed, his face reddening.

"F-fu-fuck-" He stuttered, his eyes blinking rapidly. Citra pursed her lips and slapped his face lightly to wake him up. She could tell he was loosing consciousness, and that could be due to loosing an ear, or the pole they tied him to, his arms pulled behind threatening to snap. From the look on his face, the pressure must be intense.

"Not once?" Citra pouted.

"Y-yes h-he did." The pirate managed to say, "He- he said you're a f-fucking walking psychopathic pms w-with tits."

Both her eyebrows rose. Vaas said that? She found the thought of him noticing her breasts pleasant. He did pay attention to her.

"That's it?" She wanted to know more. She was curious.

The pirate nodded, "Y-yes fuck! Let me go!"

Did Vaas noticed her tataus, too? She was thinking of getting one on her chin.

"Please fuck I swear, I'll fucking leave just let me go." The pirate pleaded.

Citra blinked out of her thoughts and looked at him, a small smile playing on her lips. "Do you think he thinks about me?"

"FUCK, FUCK LET ME GO YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

Her smile dropped, and her eyes shined darkly. "Where is your camp?"

The pirate shook his head. Citra admired his foolishness. Gripping the knife tightly, she jabbed it into his stomach, making the pirate chortle, his eyes bulging out of his sockets.

"Where is he?" She asked again, slowly moving the knife sideways.

"F-fuck please ARGH! FUCK! OK! OK! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

She stopped, staring at him expectantly.

The pirate sucked in air, wincing. "A-at the s-south outpost. By- by the ship wreckage. But, but he's probably not there. He doesn't- _agh fuck- _doesn't stay in one place for long. Please, fucking let me go. Please.. please."

Citra processed the new information in her head. The southern outpost.. that is a hard place to crack. From all of the outposts Vaas and his pirates set up over the year this one was impenetrable and heavily guarded. And that was because it was one of the largest slave trade posts they have. From intel, it was where they kept most of the slaves. If she were to hit the base, she was going to have to hit it hard.

"Please, please let me go. I told you what you wanted to know! Let me go!"

If what this pirate said was the truth, then Vaas was residing inside the fortress. A surge of anxiety hit her. She had to act fast, or else he'll slip right through her fingers again. No matter how hard she tried, he's managed to be one step ahead of her. This war, this fight for domination over the island, was starting to feel like a game between them. A very deadly, and chaotic game.

The man was still blubbering, and without any remorse she sliced the knife all the way across his belly. Guts slipped out, and the man was too much in shock to register what the hell just happened. Citra walked away, waving her hand to signal the release of the leopard. She left to the sound of the pirate screaming bloody murder as the animal spotted its next meal.

She strode through her temple, through dark tunnels illuminated by flaming torches, casting dark twisted shadows. If she were too invade the base, then she needed to soak up energy from the gods. When she entered her section of the temple, she ordered her handmaidens to prepare her spiritual bath. The priests said to obtain the strength and power of a being, she had to bathe in its essence.

She stripped nude, setting her necklace carefully down and went to the bathing room. Unlike the rest of the ancient structure, this room was wide and had an opening in the ceiling where she could see the baby blue sky. Thick vines hanged down, and a monkey or two climbed up when she entered. She halted by the circular pool's edge, and slowly entered the thick liquid.

Tiger blood.

It came up to her waist, before she sat down on the stone steps. The liquid rose up to her collarbones and she hummed in appreciation. She could already feel the tiger's energy seep into her pores, flowing through her veins. It was nirvana. Lazily she lifted her left arm. Blood coated every inch of her skin and she brought one finger to her mouth and softly sucked.

The memory of Vaas sucking his bloody finger flashed in her mind. It made her whole body tingle, and she gently dragged her finger down her lips, and her chin to rest on her neck. She missed him so much. His presence and more. It was so frustrating to know he was on her island, so close yet too far. She needed him in more ways than one.

To feel his hands stroking her skin. His lips on her neck. His body covering hers. In his room. In his bed. Under the covers, their bodies moving as one.

Sweat. Pleasure. Pain.

They try to quiet their giggles. Innocent. They were innocent. They were doing nothing wrong. But then why did he love her only in the dark? His eyes always were blank. Hollow.

_Citra.. stop.. _

Her eyes snapped open, to close again. She swam to the middle of the pool and stood there, looking down at her reflection. The reflection stared back with judging, hateful eyes.

She shook her head, her body trembling.

_your fault you you you youyouyouyouallyou _

_Citra stop- I don't want to- stop- stop- stop _

stop stop why didn't she stop?! stop stop stOP STOP STOP STOPSTOPSTOP_STOPSTOPSTOP! _

**you are the warrior **

She couldn't take it. The voices, the visions. Her reflection screaming at her.

PERVERSION SICK YOU'RE SICK

Citra scrunched up her face in agony, covering her ears. Her knees collapsed and she was engulfed. In the blood she screamed, bubbles erupting and spiraling upwards.

_im sorry im so sorry I love you_

She emerged from the blood, breathing heavily. Calming down, she blinked in surprise.

"Dennis?" She breathed.

The dark-skinned man stood at the edge of the pool. She didn't bother to cover herself. Why should she? And he didn't bother to hide his obvious staring. She waded back to the steps and climbed out, blood dripping off her tanned body. She left bloody footprints on the ground as she went to slip on a simple robe which didn't help since it was revealing in itself.

"Do you need something?" She asked, walking to him. He didn't move an inch, and his eyes were glued to her. When she stopped before him, he swallowed thickly, his adams apple bobbing.

"I-" He cleared his throat, "I see you killed the prisoner. Did he tell you what you wanted to know?"

"Mmh." She nodded, walking away to clean herself. This time Dennis followed.

"He did. Most of the slaves are kept in the southern outpost, near the ship wreckages. We attack at night. The cover of the darkness will help us." She said, slipping off the robe and stepping under a small waterfall.

"That was what you wanted to know?" Dennis asked, "You knew that already. We all knew that."

Citra wiped her face, "I had to make sure."

She could feel his eyes on her. Citra wasn't a fool. She knew of Dennis'.. attraction to her. His infatuation. The island has changed him. Her tribe, their lifestyle sucked him in.

"But why the sudden interest? You said it yourself the outpost is too dangerous to risk the lives of the men. Why now? What made you change your mind?"

"It is simple. We free the slaves, we take away Volker's money. And without money, he cannot pay for the mercenaries." Citra just made that up on the spot and saying it out loud she realized it wasn't such a bad idea. Wet with another type of liquid, she dried herself off and started putting on her clothes.

".. It has nothing to do with _him_?" Dennis questioned lowly.

Citra paused for a moment, but continued. "My brother will be at the camp. We act fast, we will catch him too."

"Citra." Two hands grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her around to face Dennis. "Why? What is this- this obsession for him?"

Her mind crackled at the word obsession, and it echoed in her skull. "He is my brother."

Dennis cupped her cheek, "Don't you see? You- you are a strong woman, Citra. You do not need him." He rubbed his thumb gently, "I can be the warrior. I can be anything you want."

Citra smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She grabbed his arm, the one covered with the Rakyat tatau, "You are one of us, but you are not _the _warrior."

Only Vaas is. **No. One. **_**Else.**_

She slipped out of his hold and walked to the exit.

"He doesn't love you."

Citra stopped, and turned her head slightly. "We leave at dusk." She marched off, fingernails scratching the inside of her skull.

* * *

><p>The vast ocean surrounding the islands darkened as the sun dipped under the edge of the world, splashing the clouds with soft orange and pinks. The hot air turned cold, making goosebumps rise on her arms. From the highest cliff she managed to find that was close to the outpost, she stood gazing at the ocean. It was nice up here, almost serene.<p>

Lights started turning on from the base, like stars in the dark jungle. Somewhere in there, Vaas was. He was so close she could almost feel him. The radio strapped on her hip crackled, and Dennis' voice permeated the silence.

"Everyone's in place."

She unclipped it and raised it to her lips, "Send in the divers. If they get caught, we attack all at once." From the sea, a squad of her more silent warriors swam under the water. They are the first wave, and will take out any of the pirates patrolling the area, especially the snipers.

"Will you be ok?" Dennis asked, concern in his voice.

"Wait for my signal. Until then, stay put and out of sight." She ordered, ignoring his question. She clicked off the radio, and wrapped it back around her waist. Adjusting the parachute on her back, she backed up to give her a run up. Three big steps and she leaped off the cliff. Freezing cold air whipped at her face and every nerve in her body felt like it was exploding. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, as the ground seemed to be getting closer second after second.

Time seemed to slow down, and the jungle below her glitch, like static, and for a brief moment she was falling down the large tunnel into water so many years ago. Her senses kicked back in, and she released the wingsuit. Citra couldn't hear anything but the sound of air rushing past her ears as she gained velocity. Zooming over the trees, the base was getting closer and closer.

She was relieved when no sniper shot her down. Her warriors must've took care of them already. Maybe a mile and a half away she pulled on the string, releasing the parachute. Her speed slowed down abruptly, and her heart got a chance to return to normal as she glided through the air peacefully. This was her second time using the wingsuit and the parachute and to be honest she hated it. Jumping of cliffs and flying in the air wasn't her thing. She preferred land.

As she got closer, the darkness kept her hidden from unwanted eyes. Citra swept the general area of the outpost, quickly memorizing the landscape. With how fast she was going, she managed to land on one of the buildings. She hastily pulled the parachute back before the wind could pick it up or someone noticing it. After stuffing it inside the backpack, she left it on the building and crept to the edge.

So far, so good. None of the alarms were raised, meaning the dead bodies were hidden and her warriors got out safely. From where she was, she got a good view of the outpost. It was bigger than the rest because of what it held. And she could see that now.

Men, women, children, tourists of any age were locked in steel cages like animals. Citra had no clue on how tourists were brought here. She knew from Dennis that the Rook Islands were not on colonists maps, so it was a mystery on how outsiders find their island in the first place. If she could find why, she would stop it, only to keep outsiders off her sand. Has she mentioned she hated outsiders?

Citra glanced at the jungle shrouded in darkness where her warriors lay in wait for her command. She wouldn't give the signal until after she finds Vaas. He will not get away this time. Not when she's so close.

She scanned the buildings, but none gave any hint of where Vaas resided. He could be in any of them and she didn't have time to check each one. Her ears picked up whistling and she crouched, peering over the edge. A pirate lazily walked under the roof's building she was on, blissfully unaware of the predator ready to pounce.

Citra landed on him hard, knocking the breath out of his lungs. She flipped him on his back and pressed a knife to his throat, a finger pressed to her lips in a be silent gesture. Her knee pressed down on his shoulders, keeping him pinned in place.

"Where is he?" She hissed.

The pirate swallowed nervously, "W-who?"

She scowled and put more pressure on the blade threatening to cut skin, "Vaas. Your pirate king."

"He's- he's not really our king-" She pressed the blade down more, "Ok! Ok! Over there, he's in that building. Aw shit please don't kill me!" The pirate pointed to a building across the outpost. Citra cleanly sliced his throat and watched the life bleed away from his eyes. Putting the blade away, she grabbed his legs and dragged him around to the back where she heaved the body up and dropped it into the water. The sharks will erase the evidence.

Silently, she made her way down the stairs and to some bushes just as a few pirates passed by. This part was critical. One wrong move and it's all over. If she gets spotted, then the alarms will ring and Vaas will either escape or fight against her men. Both outcomes are terrible.

Citra waited till the coast was clear to rush to the other bush. A breather and she got moving again. She stuck to the shadows avoiding the light and anything that moved. She passed by an alley with a clear view of the kidnapped tourists. A woman was crying, struggling to get out of the grasp of a group of pirates who were all laughing and making demeaning remarks.

The pirates were distracted, which she used to her advantage. As plain as day, she moved smoothly past them and jumped up grabbing the railings and pulling herself up and over. She landed on her feet, and moved to the door. As quietly as she can, she pushed it open and slipped inside.

It was dark, and she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the inky blackness. When it did, she could make out the outline of a table and cabinets and other furniture. Random trash littered the floor, and the whole place looked generally unkempt. From the corners of her eyes, a faint light glowed behind a ragged curtain used as a door for privacy.

_~... we born together, together we keep struggle. So fuck tomorrow we only getting younger..~_

Some kind of music played inside the glowing room. Standing up, she walked slowly, pushing aside the curtain. The first thing she noticed was the tv, which made the glowing light in the darkness. She squinted at the screen. A movie was playing, but it was muted, letting the music dominate the room. Playing was just a man running down a long stretch of road, a few people following behind him.

Citra ignored it and looked away. And froze.

Laying sprawled out on a bed, was Vaas. And he was staring right at her.

She was like a deer caught in headlights. Her body refused to move, and all she could do was stare right back. It seemed like a lifetime, and the tension in the air was so thick it made it hard to breath.

"Fuuuck.. this is a bad trip.. this is a bad trip." Vaas mumbled, rubbing his face. "Fucking doc shouldn't have fuckin taken the shrooms." He pointed at her, "Remind me to kill the motherfucker.."

Citra didn't say anything. Whatever he was on, she didn't want to break the illusion. So instead, she approached the bed and climbed on, straddling his lap. Vaas' drugged up eyes shone, and slowly he reached out to touch her. Before his fingers could come in contact with her skin, he hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty passed his face.

"No.. no you're not real. You're not real."

His fingers brushed her stomach, tracing the design of the tatau. He trailed up, ghosting over her breast and cradled a strand of her dread.

"You would be.. so expensive.. exotic and a queen.. They would pay so much for you." Vaas whispered, his eyes trailing up and down her body. His hand touched her back, and moved down to rest on her thigh, softly rubbing it. "But no.. no I would never sell you. You're priceless.. all the money in the world would not be enough for you, no, no.."

In one quick movement, he took her in and held her close to him. Citra let out a breath, and rested her head on the pillow, bringing her hands to touch his neck. In the dark, it felt like she was transported back into his room. They weren't adults going through a bloody war. They were kids, siblings. The hatred was pushed away, locked out of the room and waiting outside the door.

The years that torn them apart, seemed to dissipate just like that.

Citra trailed her fingers down his torso, and pressed a kiss to his chest.

"No.. No Citra not tonight." He held her wrists, "Just- just lay with me. Just be here.. just be here.."

Vaas stared at her, and brushed her cheek, "I wish you were here right now. I- I know this isn't fucking real.. you're not fucking real.." He closed his tired eyes, dark bags hanged under his eyelids from the use of too much drugs.

"I don't want to see you only when I'm fucking high.. But since you're here.. I have so much to tell you.. I have so much to say to you."

_so much to say to you_

_where did you go.. nowhere_

His hand hovered over where her heart laid. "I wish I can touch you.. But. But I can't. I couldn't.." His fingers curled into fists, "I wanted to. I- I fucking wanted to. Does that make me a terrible person? To _want _to fuck my own sister."

_I want you_

"I'm sick."

_You're sick_

"There's something fucking wrong with me. And the fucked up thing is.. I don't fucking care." He laughed, his eyes wild and unfocused. "I tried to forget you. But they all turned into you and ha, I ended up killing them before I could even fuck them."

Citra's chest burned, and the green in her eyes dripped with jealousy. "Who. Who are they."

"The girls.. the pretty girls I thought that could replace you.. but they turned into you. They were all you. And I couldn't- I couldn't touch them.. I get so _fucking sick_."

Vaas had a faraway look, "You were always jealous.. even when we were young but you didn't know that you had nothing to be jealous over.. It was me. I was the one who had to look out for the other boys because the way they looked at you.. how did you not fucking notice? They all wanted you.."

_I want you_

Vaas shook his head, "But they couldn't have you because.." He trailed off, the words dying off his lips. "I want to forget you, but you're always there. In my fucking head. I see glimpses of you, and I get so fucking scared, I feel like I'm losing my fucking mind."

_loosing my mind_

He smiled a deranged smile.

"You know, you know there was this guy.. a fancy fucking psychologist with these huge glasses." He pretended his fingers were the glasses, "You know he said he'll give me a free session. Just for me. I think he said that because, because he was in a fucking cage right? Wanted to save his own ass.. So I said, OK. Why not, right?"

"So he asks questions, and I'm answering honestly because I'm an honest guy. And then he says to me.. he says two words. Sexual. Abuse." Vaas laughed, "And then he goes and lists the fucking effects." He raised his hands in the air, and counted them off one by one, "Fear. Anxiety. Paranoia. Depression. Unusual aggressiveness." He chuckled at that one, "Substance abuse, and suicidal behavior." With the last finger down, he had three fingers left. He made a gun finger and pretended to shoot his head, making a blowing sound.

"And then I say to him.. Does that make me fucking crazy?" Vaas' smile fell, "He says.. he says no. I was already like that."

_you and me. we are the same_

He breathed her in, and clung to her like she was his lifeline.

"I miss you." He said, his shoulders shaking. "I- I hate this.. I'm fucking tired.. of all this killing."

"I-" His breath hitched, and she wiped away his tears. "I want to go home."

Citra brushed his scar, and smiled. She cupped his face, looking into his green, green eyes.

"You are home. _I _am your home."

Vaas stared at her, his eyes lost and confused. He shifted his body to be over hers and rested his forehead to hers, their breaths mixing together. His fingers trailed down one of her dreads, and brushed against her ear. Citra had her eyes closed, and opened them when she felt her right hoop earring being removed.

"I never had the chance.. to give something back for this." Vaas flicked the green leaf necklace around his neck. Citra hadn't notice it before. It made her chest tighten that he kept it.. after what she's done. After everything.

Hanging from his right ear was an earring with four, crudely made miniature skulls; a flat coin tied to the end. He removed it from his ear and put it in hers. A thumb across her lips and he's kissing her slowly, hesitantly. She felt like she could just melt into the mattress right then and there. Their lips molded perfectly, like they were meant for each other.

He tasted bitter and sinful.

They broke apart for air, and Vaas clutched her head tightly, his eyes piercing into hers.

"You're not real." He whispered, his hands roaming down her body. "You're not real.. You're not real."

_it makes it ok. youre not here_

Citra's eyes fluttered closed, loosing herself to the passion. She couldn't see, but only feel. His lips.. his hands exploring her body like a map. He settled between her legs and rocked against her, their clothes being the only layer between them. Through lidded eyes she watched him yank his red tank off, throwing it away without any care. A spike of pleasure surged through her as she ran her hands down his chest, feeling every bump and groove of his muscles.

_eyes theyre all watching_

It was just the two of them in the universe. In this small dark room. Citra was sinking slowly under the pond's water.

Every where he touched burned, because she was something not to be touched. She was off limits. She was the ultimate sin, and it set fire to his fingertips.

Her head started to get foggy and all she could feel was him.

"Don't leave me. Never leave me." She whispered, her lips parting in pleasure. He's panting, already out of breath and she felt the hole in her heart widen. "Why.. why did you leave me?" It was a question that's been plaguing her mind for years and it killed her slowly every day when she couldn't find an answer. She didn't want to believe her lies anymore...

His grip on her wrists tightened, "I had to. You- you wanted more. You wanted something I couldn't give you. You wanted me to be someone else.. someone other than your brother. And, and I couldn't give it to you. I couldn't be that person." He closed his eyes, "It wasn't enough for you. I wasn't enough for you. I was never enough for you."

Citra opened her eyes and held his face, "No, you are more than enough. You are _everything. _You are strong. You are the warrior. You are Rakyat."

_i am you and you are me _

_can i be you?_

A loud noise broke her out of her trance.

"Boss! Boss the natives are attacking!" A pirate emerged from the curtain.

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Vaas roared.

The pirate spotted her, and Citra reacted quickly. Withdrawing her knife, she flung it at the pirate before he could raise his gun. He slumped to the ground dead.

Vaas stared at the dead pirate, and she felt him tense. He looked back at her, his lips parted and then slowly his face became a mask of horror. He drew away from her like she was fire, falling off the bed. He recovered quickly and got up, never taking his eyes off her.

Citra followed him, and with each step she took he took one back until she had him pressed against a bookshelf. She has cornered him again, and he was so helpless in the dark.

_how could he possibly say no?_

"Vaas." Her hands are everywhere. Her eyes glow in the dark. She's twisted.. a monster in his heart.

"no.. no.." He mumbled, his whole body trembling. When she touches his cheek he snaps. "GET OUT!" He screams, his eyes crazed with rage and desperation. Citra flinched and pulled away her hand.

"GET OUT!" He screamed again, and this time he moves forward, forcing her to step back. "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" He continues, and she's walking backwards away from him, almost tripping over the dead body on the ground. Through the curtain, her back pushes the door open and they're outside to chaos and gun fires.

Vaas ripped his attention away from her to look at his outpost being attacked by the Rakyat. She watched his confused face turn into anger. In a flash, he's pressing a gun down on her temple. Citra stands very still, and she smiles a small smile. He's breathing hard through his nostrils, and the grip on his gun started to shake.

Calmly, she grabs the gun and takes it in her mouth.

She stares at him. He stares at her lips.

"Vaas!"

He looks away.

"You kill her. I kill you." She hears Dennis say.

Vaas chuckled and pulls away his gun, "Oh really? Let's see how that went last time.. oh, yeah you fucking ate shit hermano." He hopped over the railings and approached Dennis.

"Citra, are you alright?" Dennis called out to her.

"NO! Do not look at her!" Vaas yelled, "It's just YOU and ME."

Dennis glared at her brother, and raised a machete towards Citra. "I will kill him for you my Queen."

Vaas threw back his head and laughed, "You think just because my sister gave you those tattoos you are one of us? Do you think that makes you FUCKING QUALIFIED to own her?! Huh? You think she really gives two fucks about you because hermano, lemme tell you something." The two men were circling each other, and Vaas halted, "She doesn't. I can kill you right now and she wouldn't even bat an eye."

Dennis scowled, "I wear this tatau as a sign of honor. Of my acceptance into the Rakyat. You speak like you're still one of us, and yet.. I see no tatau on your arm."

That seemed to piss Vaas off since he aimed his gun straight at Dennis. "Big words for the tough guy who brought a knife to a gunfight."

Dennis didn't look alarmed and simply twirled the knife in his hand, "If you have any honor, any respect for your sister then you'll fight me. One-on-One. Like a _true _warrior."

Vaas sniggered, "Can you believe this guy?" The pirate king glanced at her. Citra looked back at him expectantly. His smiled faded, and before Dennis could notice something pass between the two siblings Vaas raised his hands in a mocking gesture, "Ok. Ok, no guns. See?" He holstered the gun and unclipped a big hunting knife.

"You will pay for all you've done to this island. To its people and to its queen!" Dennis let out a battle cry and charged, slashing his blade down. Vaas easily dodged the attack and cut Dennis under his exposed side. The dark-skinned man hissed and clutched his side.

"Is that all you got motherfucker? I've seen monkeys do better." Vaas mocked, bating Dennis. He grinned when he got the effect he wanted. Dennis growled and blindly charged at him, letting Vaas dodge the first swipe. In an incredible show of strength, Vaas grabbed Dennis by the neck and heaved him up and slammed him down on the ground, his blade falling out of his grip.

Dennis reached to get it but Vaas stabbed his hand laughing, "Where did you find this guy?" He asked looking at Citra. She knew Dennis was no match for her brother. She knew and she didn't care.

_Kill him, _her eyes said. _Kill him for me, my warrior. _Vaas understood what she wanted, and he shook his head.

"Seems like this is your lucky day amigo. You see, she wants me to kill you but I won't just because I don't want to give her any satisfaction. But I can't leave without giving you a gift." Vaas yanked out the blade and sliced it down Dennis' forehead, cackling. He stood up and bowed to her, "A thank you. For this." Vaas pointed to his own scar. "Have fun with your warrior."

At that moment, a helicopter swept over them and shot thick bullets at her. She crouched to avoid getting hit, and could do nothing as she watched a ladder thrown down, Vaas getting on and being lifted up and away into the air. The pirates have been overrun, and escaped the compound as the Rakyat took over. Citra watched the helicopter fly away into the darkness, a piece of her flying away with it. The only thing left were the cheers of her men, burning buildings, and the relieved cries of the slaves.

She approached Dennis who had gotten up, clutching his bloody face.

"Round up all the slaves. Make sure no pirates are still here." She ordered, handing him back his knife.

"Citra.." Dennis said but she ignored him, walking off to tell help control the fires. After all the slaves were rounded, and the outpost swept for any survivors, Citra re-entered the building Vaas was in. Disappointingly, there was nothing of interest. Vaas didn't live here. So where did he really hide? When she exited the building, the crying of a woman tourist caught her attention. It was the same woman who she's seen, and by the bruises and the ripped skirt, Citra didn't have to put two and two together to know what happened to her.

_the pretty girls __i thought__ could replace you.. __but they turned into you. they were all you__.. And I __couldn't __touch them.. i touch them touch them touch them_

_youre so jealous Citra_

Citra's eyes gleamed, and she marched over to the sobbing woman.

"Did he touch you?" Citra whispered, crouching down in front of the woman.

The woman looked up, her tears messing up her makeup, "W-what?"

Citra smiled at her, her green eyes cold and blank. "Did he touch you?"

The woman looked at a lost for words.

_the pretty girls- replace you- touch them_

Citra pulled out her knife and the woman flinched, scrambling away but her men held her in place. Citra caressed the knife, and flickered her eyes to the woman's swollen lips. An image of Vaas kissing her- forcing him inside made Citra's brain go haywire. Rage boiled under her skin, and she gently touched the woman's lips.

"You can't have him."

Citra brought the knife to the woman's lips and sliced it, like slicing the skin of an apple. The woman shrieked, jerking her head this way and that. Her men grabbed the woman's head and kept it still, letting Citra finish the gruesome task. Satisfied, she stood up, an unhinged smile on her lips.

"Take them! All the woman, the girls, burn them all!" Citra ordered.

A chorus of screams rose as the Rakyat warriors obeyed their leader's order without question. All except one.

"STOP! Stop what are you doing! They are innocent!" Dennis shouted desperately.

Citra snapped to him, "Silence! I am your Queen. You do as I say!" She got right in his face, "And you Dennis. You disobeyed my orders. I told you to wait for my signal."

Dennis swallowed, his eyes flickering to women being thrown into a huge pile of fire and Citra. "I- you were gone for a long time. I thought something happened-"

"So you decided to follow your own rules? Am I NOT YOUR GOD? YOUR LEADER?" She screamed, her green eyes blazing.

Dennis looked back and forth between the screaming women and Citra. "You are." He said finally, hanging his head low.

Citra took his chin and held it up, "Then do as I say. Burn them all."

She caressed his chest and walked away.

"You are the warrior." Dennis called after her. "I do not know how you cannot see that."

**you are the warrior**

_can i be you?_

_i cant be both_

Citra didn't look back.

* * *

><p>Even hours later she couldn't calm herself down. She felt high, disconnected, lost, dizzy and simply put crazy. Not even going out and fighting more pirates helped her. She just couldn't release whatever was inside her.<p>

Dennis' words, they stuck to her like honey; attracting all the bees to sting her skin.

So she went to the only place she could think of that could help her. The old priests took her in and gave her a concoction to calm her. Citra lay on the floor, or was it under water? Where was she?

Everything was in slow motion and shined like the colors of a rainbow.

**you are the warrior**

_why cant you see that_

"No.. no Vaas.. Vaas.." She moaned. It was him. It was always him.

_the warrior is inside all of you.. in each of you, he lives.. _

Inside her. The warrior is inside her. Inside.. inside.. inside..

A crying of a baby echoed somewhere in the temple.

**Inside her.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Unreliable Narrator: ** _a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised. Sometimes the narrator's unreliability is made immediately evident. For instance, a story may open with the narrator making a plainly false or delusional claim or admitting to being severely mentally ill, or the story itself may have a frame in which the narrator appears as a character, with clues to the character's unreliability._

* * *

><p>In a time centuries before her very existence, the Rakyat were proud, strong, ruthless warriors that faced unimaginable difficulties. But her ancestors were known ultimately and undeniably for their unnatural, and almost impossible, survival. They <em>endured.<em>Through the times of great famine that swept the island, oppressive invaders from across the sea, and civil wars, the Rakyat people endured it all and outlived their enemies.

They. Are. _Survivors_.

It's what they do best. Even when the numbers and the odds were against them, they strove on, fighting for a new day. They didn't wait to be saved; they saved themselves.

But to inspire hope- to ignite the wild fire of passion- the masses had to be led. They had to look up to someone to guide them. They were tiny moths seeking warmth in their darkest hour.

Citra is that light. She is the pale moon pulling the tide of the waves in the vast ocean.

... Her uncle believed in her. He always said she would be someone great. She wanted Vaas to see that to.

As the war drew on, Citra watched her warriors tire. Their once tall backs slouched, and the spirit in their eyes turned grey. They were sucking the warmth from her bones, leaving nothing behind, knowing that she will replenish it.

A great leader, is someone who can never run out of strength. The followers feed off of the leader, knowing it is unending. Knowing there will be more and they should not worry.

But what if the 'great' leader stops believing in herself?

Doubt and uncertainty were two words that would never describe Citra as the warrior goddess. Doubt and uncertainty as Citra the woman, yes it did describe her. And as time passed on, the once clear solid line separating the two started to blur. It was getting harder and harder to differentiate. She was starting to loose her grip.

Citra thought it was only affecting her. But she was wrong.

Seeing her warriors; her brave, brave animals. A disturbance from their source, affected them all and she was loosing. Loosing whatever was inside her that inspired them.

She was never good enough. She always lose.

When she's alone, a creeping feeling resides in the back of her head. They tell her, her warriors will turn against her. When they see how useless she is, they'll get rid of her. They're planning on to, she could see it in their faces. They're all against her.

Citra needed a way to fix this. She needed to bring hope back to her men. And if they couldn't find it from her then she'll find something else. From a very young age, she's always been fascinated with the Rakyat's long and bloody history. With all its legends and heroes and monsters. But it didn't just fascinate her, it brought a feeling to her soul. She used to daydream being the one going into battle with the loudest roar, invoking the rest to follow her.. she always thought she was going to be someone great.

But no. She was wrong. It is Vaas. Vaas and only him. He always wins.

She thought she was strong enough to save herself. She wanted to- but there was something in her mind. She knew it was there, it had always been present. It's blocking something from her, and she could feel but it was too damn far away.

If Citra couldn't be strong, then she needed something that would re-ignite the flame in their hearts. The questions is what? She couldn't find the answer, so she went to the elders for guidance. Find the blade, they said. The Chaoyang; the Silver Dragon. During the rule of Lin Cong, a warrior used his very knife to kill Cong, freeing the Rakyat of the warlords control. Unfortunately, as legend goes, the warrior had disappeared along with the artifact; never to be seen again.

Citra recalled the first time hearing that story. She was so young, and she told Vaas she wanted the blade. Vaas.. promised he would get it for her.

In the hands of the Rakyat, it will be bring moral and hope back to the men. She needed that blade.

So that was where she was currently, watching as some of her men tried to open a sealed round door embedded into the side of a cliff. The elders had directed them to a place where they could find a.. compass created by some of Lin Cong's magicians. Get the compass; it will lead to the knife.

The round stone door was big, and had peculiar carvings crawling in a circle around the center. It looked like it depicted the events of the war in chronological order. In the center rested the shape of an apple. Obviously they needed a key for the door, but it was lost in time. Her men were having no luck on getting the door open, so she was partially glad to hear the sound of a car approaching them.

An old rusty blue truck came to a stop, kicking dust in the air. Citra casually waved away the mini-dust storm as Dennis and a few other natives climbed out of the truck, each men carrying a wooden box that had in black print DYNAMITE stamped to the side.

"We got all the store had in stock." Dennis said, placing the heavy load down by the door. "15 or so."

"It will be enough." Citra wanted the door open, not the entire cliff to collapse down on them.

The men who had been previously working on the door made way for the people with the dynamites. They wandered by the trees to keep guard for pirates or mercs. Though Citra made sure to keep her business private, there were whispers around the island, and no doubt made its way to Volker or Vaas.

"It's ready." One of the natives informed her, and they all backed off. Citra crouched behind the back of the car, Dennis beside her. A beeping sound and the dynamites exploded with a loud BOOM! The ground under her feet shook, and Citra could almost say it felt like an earthquake. Smoke and dust coated the air, making it hard to see.

She emerged from the safety of the car when the smoke started to clear. In crumbles laid in a pile of broken stones the remains of the ancient door. With it destroyed, it revealed a long dark tunnel that sighed a hoarse relief as fresh new air invaded the musty inside. By the looks of it, it probably hasn't been open in years, if not centuries.

Citra approached the newly made entrance, Dennis following her but she raised her hand. "Stay outside."

"But-" She looked at him and he quieted.

Citra turned back to the entrance, peered down the long dark tunnel, and stepped inside. Her bare feet were silent on the hard floor as they descended, the light from the torches two of her warriors held lit up the way. They walked until it opened up into a wide cavern. A large ray of light shone down in the spacious cave from a huge hole in the ceiling where clumps of plants and vines hanged. Underneath, stood a deteriorating shrine with steps leading up to it in all sides.

Over a crumbling walkway, they passed erected statues of forgotten warriors dressed in stocky armor. Up the steps, she finally came to the shrine. Various jewelry were strewn about, along with gold coins that spilled out of bags, and other artifacts. It all looked disturbed, as if something moved it already. The cover of the stone had intricate carvings curling and twisting, all coming together to create the shape of a demonic looking face. A line cut through the entire table, showing it could be open.

Haven given by the elders, Citra pulled out a rusty, stone key and inserted it into the mouth of the demon face. It had to be only turned twice before a click sounded, and the entire table started to vibrate, the artifacts on top shaking and rattling, some golden coins falling off the side. The cover slowly separated, and a small shrine rose, twisting and turning like a shifting puzzle. At the very top of the shrine, was a small circular holder, and nothing.

Citra blinked and frowned. The artifact...

The sound of gun fires outside made her whip around in time to see one of her warriors lying on the ground, and the other having his throat cut by a white man.

"Afternoon princess." He chirped, before hitting her on the head with the butt of the knife.

Hot pain exploded on the side of her skull and then cool nothingness.

000

_Crouched behind some bushes, Citra peeked a little over to catch a glimpse of the town at the exact same time a rusty truck rolled by, causing her to gasp in surprise and duck back down. Vaas chuckled and she swatted his arm. _

_"Father said we should stay away from the towns." She whispered harshly._

_Vaas peeked around the bush, and got up._

_"Vaas!" She called after him as quietly as she could. He ignored her, and continued walking to the town. Citra stared at his back, tears pin-pricking the corners of her eyes. She didn't want to go, but she didn't want to be alone. So she had no choice but to follow him. _ _Scampering to catch up, she clung to his arm tightly, pressing her body as close as possible to his. _

_Wide eyed, she stared at the people, the shops, and the vehicles. Everything was so much bigger than her. Vaas didn't seem to notice as he strolled calmly down the dirt street. Actually he looked more excited than scared like her. They entered the first building they came across. The door chimed as Vaas pushed it open, and inside the dark shop, soft music played from a beaten up radio. _

_An overweight man stood leaning on the counter flipping through a magazine, a cigarette resting lazily between his lips. He didn't glance up at the signal of customers. The arm she was holding on to slipped out of her grasp. _

_"Vaas!" She said, reaching out to grab onto it again but he turned his back on her. _

_"Go do something." He grumbled, walking down an aisle. Citra pouted, and went to the counter. Random assortments of jewelry, keychains, and other stuff were strewn about. She glided her fingers over each of them, bobbing a hula girl's head, and finally rested on a stack of stickers. _

_"You gotta vote to have one of those." The man spoke up, exhaling smoke. _

_"Vote?" She echoed. _

_"Yeah, you take one of those slips, circle the name of the guy you want and drop it in the box. Gotta be an adult but nobody ain't voting anyways, so go ahead kid. Might make a difference in the outcome." He pointed to the stack of blue, small square paper next to the stickers. She glanced at the shop owner, who returned to reading. Hesitantly, she took a slip, grabbed a pencil and stared at the two names written in bold letters._

_**Carver Krieger - Jack Al**_

_Citra didn't know who any of these men were, so she randomly circled one and looked around for the box. Spotting it, and when seeing how tiny the slot was, she folded the paper and slipped it inside. The man was still focused on the magazine, so she guessed she should take a sticker. Plucking one off, she picked at it with her nail and peeled it off and stuck it on her chest. _

_She continued browsing, her eyes roving the toys. A fake toy sword caught her attention, and she reached for it only for someone to grab it first. Vaas chuckled as he swung it around, making a swishing sound with his mouth. _

_"Vaas let me try." She whined, reaching for the sword but he kept moving it around, jabbing her with it. _

_"Hey!" The man's booming voice made them freeze, "Don't play with the merchandise unless you're buying." _

_Citra bit her lip while Vaas snickered and set it down. The man returned back to what he was doing, but kept glancing at them. Citra didn't want to cause anymore trouble, and she was already nervous as she is. _

_"Let's go Vaas." She begged, tugging on his arm. _

_"Ok, ok." He said much to her relief. They were about halfway through the door when the shop owner shouted at them._

_"Hey! Hey stop!" _

_Citra jumped and turned around to see what happened, but Vaas grabbed her hand and pulled her away. _

_"Stop!"_

_Vaas was laughing, running through the street pulling her along. Citra was thoroughly confused until she spotted a sword grasped in his other hand. They turned a sharp corner, and out of the corner of her eye she spotted the shop owner running after them, his face beet red. _

_"Thieves! Thieves!" He shouted. _

_Citra felt paralyzed with fear, and if it wasn't for Vaas pulling her she would've stopped and cry. People moved out of the way bewildered at what was going on. Out of nowhere, something grabbed her other arm and tugged painfully, as if her arm was going to pop out of its socket. _

_"Don't touch my sister!" Vaas roared, lunging for the shop owners hand that was currently grabbing her small arm. He sank his teeth into the hand, causing the man to shriek and let go. _

_Citra fell to the ground and scrambled away. Her arm hurt, and she was breathing heavily, her heart racing a mile a minute. Vaas was currently struggling with the shop owner who was slowly but surely dragging him back. Citra panicked; she didn't know what to do! Desperately, she looked around for something, anything to help him. Besides her, was a crowded pig pen. _

_With no time to waste, she unclasped the lock and ran inside, jumping and screaming like a crazy person. It had the desired affect since the pigs squealed in surprise and stampeded straight toward Vaas and the shop owner._

_"Huh?!" The man gasped and let of Vaas to jump away from the onslaught of pig traffic. Citra went to him and together they made their escape. The siblings didn't stop running until they were far away from the town. Slowing down to a stop by the beach, Vaas laughed and kicked the water, splashing Citra. _ _Calming down from the rush, Citra noticed the sword no longer in his hand. _

_"Your sword." She said solemnly. _

_"Mh? Oh I must have dropped it." Vaas shrugged, looking _ _unconcerned about it. They walked along the shore line, Vaas in the water while Citra preferred the sand. _

_"Why did you take it?" She asked, breaking the calm silence. _

_"I dunno. I wanted to." He mumbled, "Father says if you want something, you take it."_

_Citra scrunched her face up, "Tane said patience will in time give you what you desire." _

_"Tane isn't as wise as Father." Vaas said, pounding his feet in the water. _

_"Yes he is!" She argued. _

_"You say that just because he likes you more." He pointed out. _

_"No he doesn't." She mumbled kicking the sand. _

_Vaas trudged out of the ocean and bumped his shoulder lightly against hers. _

_"What is that?" He asked, poking her chest. She looked down to see what he was talking about. _

_"It's a sticker." _

_Vaas bent down a little and squinted his eyes, "I... voted." He snickered and peeled it off to place it on his forehead. "Look, I voted!"_

_She pursed her lips and reached for it, "Give it back. It's mine." Vaas laughed and stuck it on her cheek. She whined but decided to leave it there. They walked down the soft beach, the sun slowly setting, decorating the ocean with warm colors. They passed over wet rocks, Vaas finding some poor crabs and playing with them before tossing them away into the ocean. _

_The beach curved, creating the usual inward dip that the island had. A smaller island was stuck in the middle. _

_"Race you over there." Vaas said, pointing at the mini island. _

_Citra frowned, "You always win." _

_"Don't lose then." Vaas said, jogging into the water and breaking into a fast stroke. _

_"Vaas!" She called after him. She pouted, and ran into the water. Of course, he was already a good way in the lead. No way was she catching up to him. If it's one thing the entire tribe knows is that Vaas was the best swimmer. He could hold his breath longer than anyone else, except father. And diving, he could touch the bottom of the sea floor, and sometimes he'd bring it up for Citra to touch._

_Her entire body ached and she stopped to catch her breath. The water was deep enough that she couldn't stand, but not deep enough for any stray sharks. Well sometimes. Citra remembered this one time when she and Vaas went on their daily adventures (which their father hated and Tane used to say it would be the death of them), and a shark attacked them while exploring an underwater cave. While she freaked out, Vaas remained calm and jabbed it on the nose one time, one time enough for it to back off. Then there was this other time with an octopus..._

_By the time Citra made it to shore Vaas was already waiting for her at the top of a cliff. _

_"Hurry up!" He yelled, waving his arm. _

_She wiped the water from her face and jogged around the cliff to the side and up a grassy hill littered with plants. Sitting down beside him, she took several small rocks and threw them over the cliff like he was doing. Where they sat, the sinking sun was positioned right in front of them, a clear view of it touching the outline of the vast ocean. _

_Vaas tossed the last rock he had in hand and stood up, "What do you think is out there?" _

_Citra glanced up at him, "The ocean." _

_"No, farther than that. Where all the big boats come from." _

_"I don't know." _

_He frowned, "I want to know. I want to see what's out there. There has to be something more than this island. Don't you feel like that, too?"_

_She shook her head, "No.. There is only the tribe." _

_Vaas groaned, "The tribe, the tribe, the tribe. You sound like Father." _

_"No I don't." _

_"Yes you do." _

_Citra traced the dirt with her finger, "Well you should sound like him. You are going to take his place one day." _

_Vaas went silent, "I know.. but I don't want to." _

_Both her eyebrows rose, "You don't want to? Vaas you are going to be the leader of the tribe. If I were you I would be so honored." There was a longing in her voice she couldn't suppress. _

_"Then you can have it." He said bitterly, "I don't want it. I want.." His face softened, "I want to explore. I want to see new things.. I want to get away from here."_

_"You will leave me then?" Citra said, something tugging at her chest. _

_Vaas turned to her, "No! No I'll take you with me." _

_"You promise?" She said, as he sat down back down next to her. _

_"I promise Citra. Together we'll discover all the secrets in the world. It'll be our adventure. Just you and me." He held her hand and entwined their fingers. _

_just you and me_

_"I'll take you far, far away from here."_

_you and me_

_I promise_

000

With the return of consciousness came the terrible pounding pulsing from the side of her brain. She gritted her teeth and waited till it slowly receded and she could think clearly again. There firs thing she realized was that she was no longer on land. The rocking of the ground she was on tipped it off. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but it soon cleared.

She was on a boat, how and when was a mystery to her. A song was playing from a radio, a man standing with his back facing her whistling along. Immediately after seeing the man, she was on high alert. First she tried moving her arms only to find they were bound tight, and there was something stuffed inside her mouth preventing her from making a sound. The only thing left alone was surprisingly her legs.

Silently, she rolled onto her belly and stood up, all the while never taking her eyes off the man. So far, from what she's scanned, she had three options. One, jump out the boat and swim to safety. Two, try to subdue and kill the man. Three, let herself be taken to wherever this guy had in plan for her. Right now in her current predicament, number one sounded the best. Making up her mind, she slowly walked to the open door of the boat.

"Ya fancy a dip?" Citra froze and turned to see the man, who was previously steering the wheel, leaning on it, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk pulling on his lips.

"Water's nice and warm but I think swimming requires both arms and legs last time I checked. But don't let that stop you, please go ahead." He said, gesturing to the open door.

Citra glanced at the water, taking a step forward.

"If you don't drown first, then I reckon the sharks'll get ya. Nasty creatures, I heard they like to take their time eating their meal."

She stopped and glared at him. The man only smiled back charmingly at her, his eyes crinkling. A few tense seconds passed with the two having a staring contest.

"No? Changed your mind at the last second?" He said, sounding almost disappointed. "Well then get back inside. Come on."

Despite herself, she did. She wouldn't if she saw a way out, but there wasn't.

"In the middle now. Right where I can see you." He said, making a motioning gesture. She shuffled a little more where she would be standing right behind him. "Right. Good, good." He clasped his his hands, "Oh yes where are my manners? Citra.." He paused and pulled out a piece of paper from one of his shirt pockets and unfolded it, "... Talugmai. Born and raised on the Rook Islands, leader of the Rakyat, yada yada yada." He flipped the paper over. "Huh, they didn't list how exquisitely beautiful you are. See, look at this." He wagged the paper, pointing to a picture of herself. The shot looked weird, and she wasn't even looking at the camera.

He clicked his tongue, "Yeah not the best picture but I work with what I get." He folded the paper back up and tucked it into his pocket. He then bowed mockingly, "Bambi Buck Hughes at your service, but my friends call me Buck."

Buck grinned, looking her up and down, "You must get this a lot but you look just like your brother. Same eyes n' all."

She in return continued to stare him down. Buck continued, not at all intimidated.

He rubbed his clean shaven chin, "You know I'm actually excited seeing you. I heard so much 'bout you from Vaas. He used to talk about you lots when he first joined Volker and his little organization. Couldn't quite shut up about you when he's drunk." Buck threw his head back and laughed, "Oh sweet Mary and Joseph you should _see _him when he's drunk." He wiped a fake tear from his eye, "Ah that was the good ole days now wasn't it? Your brother, fresh off the boat with his young adult enthusiasm. Oh you should have seen him. Always the perky boy ready to do whatever Hoyt wants."

"I think it's great for such a young kid to have that calling. Leave the nest, explore the world. It's natural in a boy his age to want to get out there and find himself." Buck mused. "He's changed a lot since the last time I've seen him. Still crazy mind you, but he's certainly grown into the figure Hoyt envisioned him to be."

"But you." He wagged a finger at her, "You are the other Montenegro that I was dying to meet. And I am not disappointed!" When she remained silent, he snapped his finger as if suddenly remembering something. "My apologies, that mustn't feel so good." He approached her and took off the thing keeping her quiet. "Sorry about that, didn't want you waking up and screaming."

"What do you want?" Citra shot, flexing her aching jaw.

His brows shot up, "Me? I don't want anything. Aside from that artifact you were after."

"You have it." She said, more like a fact than a question.

"Oh no, no." He waved, "Some treasure hunter got it before the both of us. Watched him take it right before you and your crew came. I would've went after the lil' weasel if I weren't on the job, and I do, take my job seriously that is."

"What has happened to the men waiting for me outside." Citra demanded. If Dennis was still alive, she knew he was searching for her right at this very moment.

"If I recall they were busy with Vaas and his pirates. Don't look so confused, your business isn't exactly private. Word gets around that the goddess warrior was leaving the safety of her temple in months to go get this relic. Course Vaas will be the first person to jump on that opportunity. As for me, it was a good day to cash in a paycheck."

"Hoyt Volker paid you to kill me?" Citra said. What a cowardly thing to do.

"No I'm just the delivery man for today. Hoyt wants you shipped alive, so he can then kill ya with the others to make a statement. Though as payment for a job well done, I'm gonna bargain to take the Russian and the Scott. 'Specially the Scott. I like them young and blonde and just the right amount of crazy. Mostly young though, I think we can both agree on that."

Citra frowned, choosing to remain silent.

Buck smirked, "Now don't be shy. Here, I'll share first. I had a younger brother I loved to death. Loved a little too much according to societies standards but fuck 'em eh? I did love him and I loved him good. But did that make my actions justifiable?" He shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe not. Maybe that's why years later I come home and find his brain all over the wall _and _on the carpet. My fucking carpet! Christ couldn't he just have overdosed on sleeping pills like a normal person. Less messy that way."

"But I'm getting off track here. See, I understand you, Citra. It's not wrong to love someone closer to your genes. Didn't stop me." He chuckled darkly, "You know there are different flavors of insanity. Take ice cream for example, I'm more of the sweet kind, like cherry. You are more of a mint chocolate chip, smooth all around but when you take a bite, it's all crunch. Vaas is that unknown flavor; you don't quite know what he's made out of but you wouldn't mind taking a bite or two to find out."

"Why are you telling me this." Citra snapped. She didn't know what game this outsider was playing at, but whatever it is she didn't like it.

Buck smiled and scratched the back of his neck, "No reason. It's just not everyday I find someone just like you. You and me, we're a rare breed. Different backgrounds, similar wants. You could say I'm feeling sentimental. Now, you're probably wondering how in the world do I know so much 'bout you and your brothers personal life. I'm tellin ya, it wasn't easy. Took me a while to figure it out."

"You wanna hear a story?" He asked out of the bloom. He didn't want for her answer and she didn't give one. "Back, back years ago when this face had no trace of a wrinkle, I was at the peak of my game. Working for Volker was the best thing to happen to me since frotting!" He laughed, "And frotting is top notch, sad for you though. So one year, I get Volker tellin me to this newcomer a hand. You know, show him the ins and outs of our this business."

"And guess who it was?" He paused, as if actually waiting for her to answer. "That's right, Vaas. What a kid. Looked like he had a tough childhood with that scar and what not. Don't know what you natives do in your mystical camps." Citra glowered at him and he chuckled, "Calm, calm I'm only joking. So here comes in this boy no older than eighteen and ready to take on the world. And I gotta say he was pretty good at it as long as he was pumped with the good stuff."

"So I remember this one night, after a successful sale down somewhere in this African country, something, something." He waved his hand dismissively, "We decided to party down at one of the strip clubs. Your brother, lemme say this now, he _knows _how to party. He was just rotten and trippin balls on acid. Snow was passed around mind you, not a party without it. I see him go into the back room with a very cute dark head, and I'm thinking, that's my boy being a man. Oh, I see that look in your eyes." Buck grinned.

Citra's head was hurting, but not from the knife. Glitches, weird scrambling messes zipped past her eyes. whatshiwnkdsihau-

"Well minutes later I remember that babies are real fuckers so I decided to intervene before any action could happen. When I go inside the room, guess what. I see our cute friend having the life strangled out of her and Vaas is saying, no, no, no." He laughed slapping his knees, "Crikey! And then he starts repeating Citra, Citra, Citra over and over. I at first thought he was talking about the fruit. No offense."

Citra could barely hear him. Her entire head was pounding.

_so-jealous- sojea-_

"Hey, hey come on you with me?" Buck said snapping his fingers in her face. She blinked and moved away, glaring heatedly at him. "Good you're back. So after that I thought not much of it. You know I actually thought he was into the dongers but turns out he's just not into anyone.. except you, of course. He is as obsessed with you as you are with him. I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to stop me." Buck grumbled the last part out and returned to his place by the stirring wheel. He suddenly broke out in laughter, "Well speak of the devil, look at who it is! I told you didn't I?"

Citra frowned and squinted out the large twin panel windows. They had been sailing smoothly out of a long river string, and they were reaching the end where the river melted away and formed with the ocean. Waiting for them were three boats. Buck slowed his boat to a stop in front of them. He sighed, cracking his neck before grabbing Citra roughly by the arm and pulling her with him to the front of the boat. She kept absolutely frigid, letting Buck manhandle her around.

As they walked to the front, she spotted him. Vaas; one feet resting on the edge of the boat, his posture relaxed, and a cigar stuck between his lips. He didn't look at her.

"Vaas!" Buck greeted and waved his hand at the row of boats blocking their path, "What the fuck mate?"

Vaas blew out smoke and grinned, "Sorry Bambi, there's been a change of plans. I'm taking her to Hoyt."

"And I'm assuming Hoyt told you this and not me. He's not the type of person to change plans so quickly, he hates that." Buck mused, scratching the side of his head with a gun.

Vaas smiled, but there was an edge to it, "C'mon Bambi. Hand her over. I'll take her to Hoyt. Your business is done here."

Buck hummed, "I don't think so. Hoyt expects _me _to bring her to him. If he doesn't see me, then I don't get paid."

"I'll give you the fucking money afterwards. Scouts honor amigo." Vaas said, ignoring some of the pirates' side-glances at him.

"Tempting but no. Now please, you're going to make me late." Right after Buck said that, in a flash, Citra unclipped the hunting knife strapped around the Australian's leg and pressed it against his throat. She felt him tense, "Well I did _not _see this coming."

"Drop the gun." She demanded, pressing the knife more.

Buck hissed, "Ok.. Ok." Slowly he outstretched the hand with the gun and let it go. "You know, that's impressive. I tied that knot pretty good."

"Let me go or your friend dies." Citra yelled, positioning herself behind Buck in case they try to shoot her. She didn't get the reaction she wanted.

Vaas laughed as if she told him a joke, "Go ahead! I don't give a fuck."

"Oh thanks mate. Makes me feel all warm inside." Buck said snarkily.

Citra kept Buck in place, the gears in her brain cranking. She needed to escape, but how? Swimming was not an option anymore. They had boats and guns, and in the water were sharks. Buck was useless as a hostage, but she had to keep him close because he wasn't an ally either. Taking the boat and driving away seemed like the best plan, but again, Vaas' boats had guns. Would they shoot her?

Would Vaas-

No, no they needed her alive for Volker. What to do, what to do? She was cornered, but she didn't want to admit defeat. Defeat was for cowards. There was no honor in it.

"Give up Citra. It's over." Vaas said, and a part of her wanted to. Just because he said so.

_i need to go_

_where will you go? _

_somewhere... far far away_

"You don't have your little warriors and bricks to hide behind." Vaas sneered.

Her eyes narrowed, "I do not hide behind anything."

He laughed and paced the boat, as if agitated. "Come on Citra. We all know how you got your position. With a little-" He made a motion with his hand, his mouth open. Citra cocked her head in confusion. "You fucked your way to the top!" He clarified, and there was a level of anger beneath his tone.

His words hit her harder than she expected, and she found herself blinking back burning tears. "You think that of me?" She said, her voice cracking.

"Ooh family drama." Buck chuckled lowly.

She ignored him. Her whole body tingled, and gods it hurt like being stabbed in the heart. "You think... I am a whore?"

_whore whore whorewhorewhore_

"It's not exactly a secret." He said.

Disbelief. The only thing she felt was utter disbelief. How could- how.. She would _never- _he, Vaas- he was the only one for her. Even when suitors came to her she turned them all down. And- and for him to suggest she degraded herself to advance in the ranks-

"How _dare you._" She growled, her blood boiling with rage she's never felt so powerful before. "I did not _fuck _my way to be leader!"

Vaas looked taken-aback, maybe because of her sudden anger or the fact she cursed for the first time.

"You don't know what I've been through!" Did he think it was so easy? She had to face social stigma, she had to prove herself over and over again. She trained, she fought, she bled like no other. It took her _years _to get to where she is now. And it was all for _him. _She knew, she knew she needed power to defeat Volker. She couldn't do it on her own.

"Oh sorry, did you have a hard time stuffing all those cocks in one pussy? I bet you fucking enjoyed it." He hissed, his face twisting in his own anger.

A sudden rage induced scream tore from her throat. She shoved Buck away with more strength she didn't know she had, and threw the knife. Vaas twisted his body in time to avoid getting stabbed. Gunfire broke out, and Citra scrambled inside, pressing her back against the safety of the wall. Her heart was beating so fast it hurt, and a painful stinging caught her attention.

Her leg, it was bleeding. She inched her skirt up, hissing and saw she had been shot. Gods she's never been shot before and it hurt like no other. It was so bad her leg started shaking unconsciously. As much as it pained her, she pressed a hand on the bleeding wound and looked around for something to wrap it up.

"Crikey you fuckers almost shot me!" She heard Buck's voice yell outside.

"Stay put Bambi! Hey, hey keep your guns on him." Vaas ordered, and there was a loud _thunk _like something heavy dropped on the boat. Citra managed to pull herself up and peek out the window. She instantly duck down when she saw Vaas on the boat.

"Come on out Citra." He hollered, "You have no where to go." She remained put, her hand staining red. "Are you hiding? Are we playing hide and seek? You know I always find you."

_always win_

She heard each step of his boots, and in her head she could practically see him swaggering down the boat. "Citra... Citra, where are you?" He said, making the metal screech as he dragged a knife against it. She bit her lip, holding back a pained moan as she got ready to attack him. Just as she saw the tip of his boot, a loud trumpet sounded and then a huge explosion rocked the boat.

Citra was thrown on her side, and the pain in her leg doubled. She gritted her teeth and picked herself up off the floor. Looking out the window, she saw one of Vaas' boats on fire and quickly sinking.

"What the fuck!" Vaas screamed. Coming from the sides were rebel boats, Rakyat warriors opening fire on the unsuspecting pirates. "Motherfuckers!" He growled, and Citra took his momentary distraction to limp behind him and with all her might, shove him off the boat. She didn't wait for him to resurface, instead limping back to the wheel and turning on the ignition.

She reversed it, turned the wheel quickly and revved the boat to the left away from the carnage. She was so focused on driving the boat (which she's only done once) that she didn't notice a figure creep up behind her until it was too late. Something pulled at her hair and pushed it back down hard on the steering wheel. Stars exploded behind her closed eyelids as she was pushed down.

"Hope ya enjoyed that little reunion because that'll be the last time Vaas will see you alive. But don't worry, he'll see you again hanged up like a flag after Hoyt skins you alive."

Buck, it was Buck. How did she forget about him?

Her head was spinning, and she was growing faint. Her wound, she was loosing too much blood.

"Got a little flesh wound eh? Don't know if you dying'll deduct the pay. Hoyt did want to hear you scream, he likes it when they beg." Buck said, taking control of the boat.

Citra breathed deeply through her nose, focusing her mind away from the darkness. Weakly, she pushed herself off the ground and drawing her strength, she charged at him. They fell in a mess on the floor, rolling and kicking. Somehow they ended up at the front where they broke apart and got up.

Buck had a wild grin on his face, "Good to see you're still kicking. Maybe I'll get full pay after all."

"Money is all you care about? A man is weak that way." She spat. They circled each other, each crouched slightly ready to pounce.

"No not all but it's definitely nice. I'm more of a collector. I respect history. You know if I wasn't doing this I'd be a history teacher." He said conversationally.

Citra stepped too hard on her bad leg and she stumbled a bit, taking her eyes off him. That was her mistake, because as soon as she did he was on her. Her back collided with the ground, and he kept her pinned under him with his weight. A sharp jab to the head made her vision go dark but she recovered and bucked up, trying to throw him off.

"Whoaa steady Bessy steady!" He laughed, clearly enjoying himself.

Citra snarled and bit down on his wrist. He howled and let go, letting her push him off. He came back full force once she was standing and tried to grab her. She snaked out of his grasp, hooking her ankle around his and pulled. He toppled over, and with her legs, she ejected him off hard enough to flip him over and off the side of the boat. But in doing so, her leg protested and gods she felt something _rip_ in her leg.

Buck landed with a splash and was soon left behind as the boat continued. Citra wheezed, pushing down the intense pain. The boat eventually started slowing down, and she had to get it starting again.

"Whoa dude that was bad-ass!"

Citra snapped her eyes open to see a smaller boat pulling up beside her, a fat white man beside the wheel.

"No worries ma'am I'm on your side. Dennis sent me to get you." He said, walking to the side of his boat and outstretched his arm, "Hurk." She grabbed his hand and let him help her onto his side. He whistled, "Oh sweet Jesus you're Citra?"

"I am. Where is Dennis?" She demanded.

"Uh back with the others. I think they're still fighting but you know, I'm single too." Hurk said, licking his fingers and smoothing his hair back. "Hey girl."

Citra ignored that and limped past him and plopped down, nursing her bad leg.

"Ok.. Can't leave without an explosion." He tossed a C4 onto Buck's boat and got into the driver's seat. The American started the boat and drove a good distance away before pressing the button, making the boat explode in a fiery hell. "Oh, here med-kit. You want me to help you?" He asked, tossing a white and red medical kit at her.

"I'll be fine." She dismissed him, and clipped it open. First she relieved the pain with a dose of morphine, and then an injection of a healing syringe. She then bandaged the wound, wrapping a cloth around her thigh. She felt a little better, not much but at least she wasn't on the verge of passing out.

"So uh what are you doing after this? We could go catch a movie or something.. aw shit you guys don't have theaters around here" Hurk cussed and adjusted his rear view mirror. "Oh shit, looks like we got baddies on our tail."

Citra stood up and saw at least two boats catching up to them, and fast.

"Alright, take the wheel, I'll shoot-" He said getting up but she pushed him down.

"Drive. I will handle them." She said, taking control of the gun turret attached to the back of the boat.

"Oh mamasita, seriously we should get drinks after this. You like Argentina wine 'cause I got some-"

"Drive." She growled.

"Ok! Ok, on it. On it."

Citra heaved the turret up and aimed it at the two boat. She let loose, feeling the shock wave of each powerful bullet being pumped out. It rained on the water first before hitting one of the boats. The pirates started shooting back, and she prayed to the gods to not let any hit her. She really hated getting shot.

"Aw yeah that's what I'm talkin about!" Hurk cheered as one of the boats exploded. The other one didn't even stand a chance, and it too followed the same fate as its brother.

"Whoo! Did you see that? You were all _bang bang _and I was all _vroom vroom_." He laughed. The radio on his hip crackled to life and a familiar voice spoke.

"Hurk, Hurk you there? Come in. Do you have Citra?" Dennis' voice said through the radio.

The American whipped it out, "Roger Mr. Rabbit, package in bound- Hey!"

Citra snatched the radio and walked away, "Dennis."

"Citra! Thank god, are you alright?"

She flexed her bad leg and winced, "I'll be fine. Where is Vaas?"

There was a period of silence, "I'm sorry, did you say Vaas?"

"Yes, did you find him?" She said slightly annoyed.

"I- no, Citra we were only focused on getting you outta there."

"He escaped then?"

"Yes, I do not know- Citra you were almost killed! I didn't think to get _Vaas _when your life was in danger!" Dennis said incredulously.

"Stop. We will talk more back at the temple." She snapped.

There was a brief silence and then, "... Ok. I will see you soon." The radio crackled off and she handed it back to Hurk.

Hurk took it and clipped it back on, "So uh, so I saw Dennis has this wicked tat on his arm. Asked where can I get one and he said its a Tatau and explained about it and shit. Ya think I can get one since I, you know, saved the queen of the Rakyat and all that."

Citra raised a brow, "No. That is not how it works."

Hurk pouted, "Aw then what?"

"You must prove yourself. Be one with the jungle body, and soul." She explained, giving him the shorter version.

"Oh, like one of those Zen things. Cool, cool I can do that."

Citra frowned at him and went to sit at the back of the boat. She let her muscles relax, and she closed her eyes.

_Vaas.._

_you and me_

_I promise _

_**whore**_

"Hey so I heard Macaques are indigenous to this island? You think I can keep some as pets?" Hurk's voice broke through her thoughts and she groaned in irritation. This was going to be a long boat ride.


	7. Chapter 7

Six months. She's been stuck inside this temple for _six months_.

Citra respected Dennis' advice to stay hidden and safe, but she's felt like she was losing her mind.

_"It is too dangerous. Vaas has more control over the island than we thought. You must stay safe, for your people, for the Rakyat... and for me."_

Stay safe.. it was cowardice. Citra was no coward, she did not hide. But even some of her generals suggested the same thing. Stay in, stay safe. It's too dangerous out there. She didn't want to. She wanted to fight along side her men.

But.. they were right. If Citra were to step out of the safety walls of the temple, then Vaas would pounce on her in a heartbeat. It pained her to admit it, but he had more men, more weapons, and more land in control than she did. They were fighting a losing battle. It was a struggle even to keep Rakyat protected towns safe. And whenever they would conquer an outpost, it would be won back by the next day.

She wished she could do something. But she was only one woman. And she couldn't do any extraneous exercise anymore. Ever since the bullet wound, her leg hasn't been the same since. One of the healer told her she partly ripped something that would require weeks, maybe months to heal. It has, leaving a faint scar, but her leg still hurt with phantom pains.

Citra couldn't afford anymore men to go to waste, and their supplies were drying out. Dennis tried to squeeze out more favors or trades, but the expenses were rising and their money was depleting.

It didn't look good. They were not in the gods' favor.

Her people were suffering.. begging for release from Vaas' cruel domination.

_should she too?_

And it wasn't any better inside. Locked away, she decided to spend her time connecting with the gods. With the island itself. But Vaas... Vaas would always be there. Lurking in the shadows, a passing glimpse, a whisper in her ear. Alone in her chambers is when he is the loudest. Speaking to her, taunting her. It was getting harder and harder to not think of him.

He's drowning her. Pulling her under the pond with him.

And she lets him.

In the day she thinks of him, and at night she dreams of him.

He's everywhere.

In her mind, under her skin, through her blood making her heart beat in his hand.

Some days she doesn't even know who she is anymore.

Time has no meaning in this place. There is only Vaas.

She feels his touches, tracing her body, caressing her cheek and when she believes, when she actually _believes _he is there she opens her eyes and find him gone. Gone. Taking away the warmth, the comfort. Sucking away the life from her very bones until she's left starving for more.

Her handmaidens are giving her odd glances. They whisper, they all whisper behind her back. The way they look at her!

How could they understand?! They don't! No one does!

No one, no one... but Vaas.

He was the only one that ever loved her. He still does, she knows it! He's confused, he's lost. He needs her help. He needs her.

Citra doesn't cry anymore. She can't. She tries but no tears come out. There again- a block. A wall. A dam holding back her emotions.

_Why doesn't he love her? _

She loves him. She loves him so much.

If he could only see that, then she knows he'll come back to her.

Her warrior, her savior.

_whore_

His harsh words still stung, but she knows he didn't mean it. Hoyt Volker must have told him that to keep him away from her. He was trying to break them apart, widen the rift between them.

**He will suffer.**

They all will.

But it will be a while before she can bring him down. Right now, she needed to take back control of her island. Gods her uncle would be so ashamed to see what has become of his beautiful homeland.

So the months passed, and she waited idly for something to happen. The only interest she has now was getting information of the outside world. But the news was the same every time. There was no change. The struggle for power remained the same. This war will drag on for years with no change in sight.

Which is why the rumors of a man who escaped from Vaas, and _survived _piqued her interest.

She was skeptical though. Nobody has ever, _ever, _walked away from her brother alive. These rumors were probably false, or weaved from one too many tokers.

A few days passes, and then she starts hearing of that same man who now took over an outpost for the Rakyat. An impressive feat. Who exactly was this man? Why is he helping them? What is his purpose...

Dennis was happy to provide information. He tells her the mans name is Jason, and he had found him unconscious by the beach after escaping Vaas' camp. Dennis spoke highly of him, and Citra couldn't help feel a tad bit curious. But she didn't expect for this, Jason, to come to her.

He came when the sun had left to give way for the moon. The big fire pits were lit, smokes spiraling up and disappearing. Citra had been meditating, and on the outside, she looked calm and collected. But inside, she was anything but.

She was disturbed by one of her men who kneeled down in respect, "My Queen, Dennis has returned and he has brought someone with him. He requests your audience."

Citra frowned and got up. "Go, I will be there." She didn't know what Dennis was thinking. Already she was ticked off that he even let someone into the temple. This was sacred grounds, meant for only the true blood of the Rakyat to reside. Dennis should know better. And that was another thing concerning her. Dennis was starting to forget his place in her island.

When she exited into the temple courtyard where a huge, thick tree stood tall, she full on intended to dismiss this mystery person and be done with it. She had no time or patience to deal with anyone, especially one not of the Rakyat. She was just behind the tree when she heard voices.

"Dennis, you brought an outsider in here?" She heard one of her personal guards say.

"I have found one that will not fail." And that was Dennis. Citra's frown deepened. Not this again. For the past few months he has been trying to find the _warrior_, and he's been bringing in various men who he says will end this war and free their island. They all went to kill Vaas to prove their worth. None came back. She's sure this one will be no different.

"Get back!" The guard snarled, and she could see them now. Dennis, standing a few away off, her guards aiming their guns straight at.. an outsider.

She emerged from the smoke and strolled over to the commotion. "Berhenti!" She called out, slowing to a stop so she was facing Dennis and the white man. Instantly she greatly disapproved of Dennis' find. An outsider? What was he thinking? She despised outsiders, and to have one right in the very core of the Rakyat.. it was unacceptable. But then again, she trusted Dennis' judgement. To a certain degree. So if he was here, then Dennis must have already given him a Tatau.

She held her head high and placed her hands on her hips, "Let me see your arm."

The outsider did, raising his arm to show familiar tattoos.

Dennis clapped his hands, looking between her and the outsider. "This is Jason, the one I have been telling you about."

"Hi." Jason said, taking a step towards her. The guards immediately aimed their guns at him defensively, halting the outsider from coming any further. Citra had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. So far, she was not impressed. Dennis didn't mention the fact that Jason was an outsider.

"Did they teach you to speak without permission in America?" She sneered, moving her weight onto her other leg.

"No. I learned that in France." Jason said smiling.

She narrowed her eyes. Fine, if the outsider wanted to play it that way, then she'll play. "Senapanka bawa." She commanded, walking down the steps. The guards reluctantly withdrew their guns and stepped aside. She approached Jason and grabbed his wrist, a small smile playing on her lips.

"You are brave to joke in the face of death." She said. _Or extremely foolish. _

She hummed, examining the Tatau on his arm. "Fine work." And it truly was. She reached behind her back and grabbed the handle of her knife. "I'll give it back to you after I cut it off!" Jason grunted when she suddenly jerked his arm and withdrew her knife, ready to cut skin. The fear and surprise on his face was the exact reaction she wanted out of him.

"I thought you liked jokes." She said with mock surprise, releasing his arm. She then started circling him, eyeing him up. "Very few outsiders have seen this temple. The inner courtyards, fewer still." Up close, she got a better look at him. He was tall, taller than her and his skin was a light tone that looked like it hasn't been kissed under the sun. But what caught her attention the most was the green of his eyes and how they shined against the fire.

Jason followed her with his eyes, and she returned back to standing in front of him, placing her hands back on her hips. "Why are you here?"

He blinked a few times, as if dazed and said, "I need the strength to defeat Vaas and save my friends."

She smiled inwardly. To defeat Vaas would be like trying to drink the entire ocean. It can not be done. Especially by this nothing in front of her. He would not even _graze _her brother.

"Is that all?" She asked, and waited for a response. When none came, she dropped her smile, "I will not command my army for you. You are a _lamb_. Not one of us."

Jason frowned, "Well, then I will become a warrior."

He sounded so sure of himself that she scoffed in disbelief, "Very funny. Please leave." She turned her back on him, waving her hand in dismissal.

"He _took_ my brother."

The anger in his voice made her stop in her tracks. There was an edge to it, something she couldn't quite place but she's definitely heard it before. She turned around hesitantly, looking at the grim face of a man who had lost someone so dear to him.

"Vaas did?" She asked, ignoring the echoes of his name bounce around in her head.

"And I will do _anything_ to get him back." Jason growled, and there was a fire in his eyes. A fire that drew Citra in, and for a brief second she herself was standing before her, her green eyes a lit with a flame burning inside her ready to consume anyone who got to close.

_he took my brother_

She blinked and it was back to Jason.

"Berikansa herba." She said, extending her hand and waited for the bottle to be given. Once she felt the smooth clay in her hand she handed it to Jason. "Bring me what has been lost, and we'll talk." He took it from her and she made her departure, not wanting to stay for another minute. She didn't know what just happened. This.. she has never experienced before. And she didn't like it.

She felt something.. foreign enter her brain. Unfamiliar. Unwanted.

Citra pushed whatever it was away, and went back to the meditation room. Candles were still lit, and the smell of incense invaded her nostrils. She sat criss-crossed and breathed in deeply. The herb she had given the outsider would show him what he needed to see. She chose the knife, of all things, because it would be impossible to find. The outsider will get frustrated and quit, and leave them alone in peace.

She sat in silence, the only sounds were the crackling of the fires in the night. Once more, she let her mind disconnect with her body. It floated up into intangible space.

Green eyes. The fire, the will, the determination.

The anger. The creeping _hatred. _The want, the desire for revenge.

The lust for blood.

Footsteps brought her out of her mind, and she turned to look at the door just in time as Dennis walked in.

"Citra, what do you think of Jason?" He asked with a hopeful smile on his face.

"The _outsider _will die." She said, emphasizing outsider to remind Dennis of who he actually brought.

"He escaped Vaas. I think that is a sign, no?"

She pursed her lips, "Or maybe it was only luck."

"Fate." He corrected her.

"Then fate must be playing a terrible joke on me." She said, crossing her arms. "I do not have time for your little game of warrior Dennis."

"It's no game. I see something in him. You saw it too or else you wouldn't have given him the drink." He smiled when he saw her glower at him.

"His.. determination is intriguing but it will not help him." She admitted.

"That is why I brought him to you. You can guide him to his center, just like you've done for me." Dennis said lowly, placing a hand on his chest.

"I can only help him so far. The island, the experiences he will go through on his journey will do the rest." She did not receive help when trying to get the power to defeat Hoyt. Only through her experiences did she grow and learn. The outsider must endure the same. But even then, he will die at the hands of Vaas.

Dennis rested a hand gingerly on her shoulder, "It will be different this time. I sense it. There is a change in the air."

Citra raised a brow and brushed his hand off, "You may believe in him but does he believe in himself? The jungle is unforgiving. This island, will eat him alive."

"Then I pray he will be hard to swallow." Dennis grinned.

Citra hummed and stood up. "Go to him. Make sure he will only return with the knife in his hands. If he does not, I will not help him."

Dennis nodded his head in understanding as she walked out, heading towards her chambers. Once alone, she laid on her bed and twirled her sharp end of her knife lightly on the tip of her finger. There was something tugging in her mind. She hated it. It left her feeling odd. All she wanted to do was crush it and blow its ashes away.

But those green eyes never left her mind.

His green eyes.

Vaas.

Jason.

Did she see herself in him? To fight for her love one. To die for him. To do _anything _to get him back.

Citra hated this weird new feeling blooming in her chest.

The outsider will fail.

He. Will. Lose.

000

A few weeks passed, and she's been hearing stories of this '_Snow White' _who has been taking outposts, helping the Rakyat, and basically causing an imbalance of powers. It must be him, the outsider, Jason. He's even helped them with their money problems. Hurk had come to them offering conflict diamonds, saying he got them just for her and could he please, please get that tat now.

Of course she took the diamonds, and kicked Hurk out. A buffoon of a man should not be honored with a sacred tatau. And plus she heard Jason was the one who retrieved the rocks.

Jason. He was starting to get more and more intriguing. He's done so much for the Rakyat. He's done things that no man as ever done. Jason was a force to be reckoned with that she was surprised Hoyt didn't come down with his helicopters and try to kill the man. Jason was starting to prove himself, not only with the tribe but with her.

Jason was something new in her mundane life. A fresh wave of air in the murky temple where Vaas creeps around in the shadows. But Jason walks in the light.

He was strong, she'll give him that. But he hasn't completely lost himself. Let himself be engulfed by the jungle.

Some days she caught herself thinking of the outsider. Even though she didn't want to, it was something she liked to partake in. Indulge herself. She was only bored. It didn't matter if she thought of the man. And anyways.. it relieved her of thinking of a certain someone.

When she heard Jason was returning, she had to remind herself she was only excited to see the knife.

Citra stood on the steps leading up to the inner sanctum of the temple, watching Jason appear into view and walk over to them. Dennis looked giddy, giving her a sideways smile before going to greet the outsider.

They conversed for a while before Citra decided to make her presence known. She strolled over to them, her two guards following loyally by her side. As she walked, she observed Jason. He looked skinnier than before, and he was sporting a couple new scars and bruises. But his eyes... it was different. It shined with something wild.. feral. Excited. And when he looked at her, their eyes locking, she felt that weird thing in her mind tingle.

She walked to them slyly, hesitantly, never breaking eye contact with the outsider.

"You return to us bearing which that has been lost." She said it like a fact. His face told her that he did not fail. From out of his pocket, he pulled out the ancient knife and presented it to her. She gazed at it, the knife beautiful with intricate carvings melded into the metal. She took it from him, and she had to keep her face neutral when a jolt of electricity erupted when their fingers brushed lightly against each other.

With the way Jason looked, she knew he felt it too.

Citra ignored it and cradled the blade in her hands, "That blade spilled the blood of our ancestors. It has been conquered and the dead have been avenged." Now maybe the tides of war will shift in their favor. She gave it to one of the guards who took it respectively and went to place it in the shrine room. She then turned to Jason and beckoned him forward, "Come with me."

She started towards the entrance, Jason following along with the other guard and Dennis, but she didn't want them present. "Leave us." She ordered with a wave of her hand. They halted, her guard looking reluctant but he stayed in place. She climbed the steps and turned around to face Jason at the very entrance of the tunnel. With a hand on her hip she asked, "What is it you desire?"

"To save my friends." Jason said immediately, almost automatically. She raised a brow. No, no she could see something in his eyes he couldn't hide. Not from her. Vaas could never hide his true feelings from her. There was a hunger in those green eyes, a predator locked behind bars, prowling, waiting to be released.

_release release_

_monster inside _

_they both want out_

This strange new feeling had Citra feeling high. An instinct long buried away resurfaced, and Citra's never felt this pull towards someone else other than...

"Are you sure?"

Jason's eyes hardened, "I want to kill Vaas and Hoyt."

There it is. The burning anger. The same one inside her.

She smiled and continued into the temple, exaggerating the swing of her hips. It felt foreign to her, and a small part of herself wondered if she was doing it right. She didn't understand men unless they were fighting with her.

Gods! What in the world was she even thinking?

But when Citra glanced behind her to see Jason staring, the voice in her head vanished.

Jason realized he was caught staring, and his pale cheeks tinged a light blush. He smiled cheekily at her, and she found herself smiling back.

They came to the old carvings forged by her ancestors, and she began the legend she's memorized by heart. She remembers Tane telling it to her again and again whenever she pleads for it.

"Once, long ago, there was a lotus pond filled with clean water. The bank composed of smooth sand and the smell," She breathed in, and she could almost smell it, "of blossoms moved the air." She then moved on to the painting of the demon, "But a giant lived beneath the pond's surface, devouring any who came to its edge."

_devour devour_

_devour me_

Citra moved on to her favorite part, "A warrior from the northern kingdom heard of the giant and vowed to slay him."

_slay him, slay him_

_slay me_

"He painted tatau on his body," She said, trailing a hand down her chest, watching Jason's eyes follow. She clenched her fist, "and took power from the land of the dead. And when he was ready, he walked the path of the lotus pond. The giant rose from the still waters." Citra could almost envision it now. Vaas, his body wrapped in tatau, waist deep in the pond, the ancient dagger in his grip. Not a trace of fear on his face when the giant rose to meet its challenger.

"And the warrior raised his dagger."

Vaas raised his arm, the blade shining in the sunlight.

She grinned maniacally, "He cut the giant's head clean off its body!"

The clear water of the pond stained red. Vaas stood triumphant, his entire body covered in blood.

"The skull of the giant fell to earth, and became our island." She continued, "The _descendants _of the warrior, became the Rakyat," She placed her hands on her chest, "Our people."

_our people_

_his people_

_your people_

_my people_

"Now another giant has risen."

_Hoyt._

"Prove you are worthy of the tatau. Help us free our captive warriors and I will _give _you the power you desire." This will be his ultimate test. Not to free her men, but to face Vaas. Oh, she knows they will meet. Jason has been causing more trouble than Vaas can keep up. He was bound to get rid of the pest someday. And today will be that day. If Jason dies then his journey will end. But if he survives...

Jason is not swayed by Hoyt's influence. She can see. He is stronger than that. He is new. He had potential. He can be molded, shaped into anything and everything she ever wanted. This island hasn't tainted him yet, twisted his soul.

...He does not hate her. He does not know her.

Jason can again. He can again and they'll start together anew.

She can see it now.

"I'll do it." Jason said with set determination. A promise. She knows he will keep it. He always does.

"Then I will see you again soon. Warrior." And with that she walked away, already awaiting his return.

He is the one she has been waiting for. He is _perfect. _She just needed to peel off the skin hiding his soul. Crack the man he will be no more.

Consume him. Make him hers.

Citra went into the shrine room and admired the ancient knife; her reflection staring back with madness in _his_ eyes.

000

"Something went wrong."

Citra frowned upon hearing those words. She was busy setting up the rite for tonight's ceremony when Dennis had come to her, a worried look on his face.

She crossed her arms, "What do you mean?"

"Jason, he went after the truck alone." Dennis explained, pacing back and forth.

"Alone?" She echoed. That was brave of him. But of course, what kind of warrior would he be without fierce bravery.

"I'm afraid Vaas has killed him. Some of our men saw Vaas and his pirates dump the bodies of our brothers in a pit. They did not see Jason's body, but I have to check for myself."

Citra processed the news in her head, and smiled. "Dennis, do not worry. The warrior cannot die. He is unbeatable. No blade or bullet can harm his skin."

Dennis halted and looked at her, "Citra, Jason is but a man."

"HE is not just a _man_." She seethed, her eyes flashing. "He is more than a man, he is a warrior! He is Rakyat!" Her chest heaved up and down, her skin electric. Dennis looked startled, and he had taken a step back. Citra cocked her head, "What is wrong Dennis? Do you not believe in our savior? You said it yourself, there is a change in the air." She waved her hand, "I can feel it now."

"But if you're so worried then go. Check on our warrior. _See _if he is dead."

Dennis hesitated to leave, but when she said no more he turned on his heels and jogged to the entrance.

It was a fool's errand. The warrior is alive. He will come back and tell her what she already knows.

And he did.

Hours later, Dennis returned to the temple. He was out of breath, like he'd ran the whole way here.

"Jason- he's alive! And he is coming."

Citra smiled, "Of course Dennis. What did I tell you?"

"I- I know but to escape Vaas twice? He is lucky-"

"No!" She exclaimed, cutting him off, "It is _fate. _You said so yourself."

Dennis knitted his brows, "Citra, what are you talking about?"

She laughed, "Please, do not tell me you don't remember?"

"I never said that." Dennis said seriously with a hint of concern. His head buzzed- buzzed just like that girl so many years ago. Dennis cupped her cheek and examined her face. Citra? Citra you look tired. Have you been sleeping? When was the last time you slept? He said. Citra Citra you should stay in the temple. It is not safe out there. The jungle will consume you. This island will eat you alive.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Citra breathed, closing in on him. "I DO NOT like the way you are looking at me." Do they think she doesn't see them?! She sees their faces, she notices their glances. They whisper behind her back. Are they questioning her leadership? They think she is a whore too!?

"Citra, I do not understand-" Dennis said warily, raising his arms and backing away.

She clenched her teeth and stood still, "Leave."

"Citra-"

"Leave! My warrior is coming home, and he does not need you here."

Dennis looked at a loss for words, but he did as she ordered and left. Citra waited until she was sure he was gone before breathing out and inhaling deeply, calming her frazzled nerves.

Calm, calm she must be calm. Her warrior is on his way back to her, and she must be ready for him.

She glanced back at her personal guards who had been standing behind her in stoic silence. But this time they were looking at her oddly, and when she turned to look at them they snapped their heads forward, adverting their eyes.

Her eyes narrowed, "Is the blood ready?"

They didn't answer her immediately, but one eventually did.

"The tiger is dead, the blood has been put in a bowl ready for you." The guard said, keeping any hint of emotion showing in his voice repressed.

Citra nodded, "Good."

Now she waits. She will wait for him for forever. She has been waiting for _years. _Time does not matter anymore.

The sky darkens, and the fire bowls are lit.

_and the warrior returns after his journey in the dark, the moonlight leading the way back to his kingdom. Back home to his love who has been watching over his people till his return. _

The sight of Jason emerging from the tunnel made Citra's whole body tingle, and she couldn't suppress a smile. The warrior approached them and stopped before her.

"Leave us." Jason ordered, never once taking his eyes off her. Her personal guards left with no objection, and it excited Citra. He has certainly proven himself, and now he was showing his command over his people. His power, what is rightfully his since birth.

"The warrior returns from the land of the dead." She smirked, walking to the steps.

"I brought you a souvenir." He said, tossing her an object.

She caught it with quick reflexes honed over the years of training. Holding it slightly closer to one of the fire bowls, she examined the object. It was a rusty gold lighter, with a smashed bullet embedded onto the side, creating a dent. She ran a thumb over the bullet, wondering what the story was behind it. But she knew it must of had something to do with Vaas.

She slipped it into one of her pouches tied around her waist and beckoned Jason forward.

"It is time." she said, giving him the ceremonial wine that the priests had concocted for new warriors. She herself had to drink it when it was her time. "Drink." She ordered, "This is a poison for the weak, only the strongest will survive it."

Jason drank it without any hesitation. Immediately after doing so, his face twisted, and he coughed. She smiled at him and waved her arm to the staircase leading up to the shrine.

"Follow the path." She said.

Jason stumbled forward and up the steps as if in a trance. Citra took his hand, and guided him to the shrine. She couldn't contain the excitement building up inside her. This was it. This was finally it. Her warrior, her god, her everything was becoming the very person she wanted him to be. Each time she glanced behind her, it would be Jason, and then Vaas, and back to Jason.

Once they reached the top, they lead him down to the other side of the long walkway leading to a circular shrine by the cliff. She pushed him down on the stone slab and straddled his waist. Jason's head lolled to the side but Vaas threw _his _head back as she grinded down on him. Citra hummed in pleasure and brought her lips to his ear and said, "What kind of man are you?" She took the tatau maker placed on the ground and started the process of tattooing the rest of the tatau on his arm. When she was finished, she placed the tools aside and leaned into his ear again.

"Your sense has been clouded by others. You walk their paths, instead of your own." Jason groaned, the name Liza escaping his lips. Citra froze, and narrowed her eyes. Who was this Liza?

_pretty girls-replaceyoutouchthem_

One of his friends, no doubt. They were going to be a problem, and she would start thinking of a way to deal with them but for right now, Vaas needed her. She snatched his chin and turned his head to the side, rubbing a thumb over his soft lips.

"But I can feel the fire in you." She hissed, pressing her palm to the middle of his chest.

Jason's face contorted and he said something along the lines of, "What ish datshing?"

She didn't bother answering for she did not know of what he spoke of. Each warrior who has drank the concoction faced different challenges. She herself had to... face her uncle. She could never forget his burning body running at her in all directions as she shot arrow after arrow into his sliced open chest, his heart missing. Citra did not know why it was her uncle who showed up in her vision, and she didn't want to think of it now.

Citra lifted Jason up, and pulled off his shirt. She pushed him back down and immediately moved her hands up and down his naked torso. His hands attached themselves to her body, exploring and moving all around until they found the strings holding her shirt in place. He untied it with her help, and once loosened she slipped it off and dropped it on the ground. She leaned down, their breaths mingling together.

"You are fearless." She breathed, taking Vaas' hand and placing it on her chest to slid down to one of her breasts."You will defeat anyone who stands in your way." His other hand cupped her other breast and slid down her stomach. She closed her eyes, and she could only feel him. His hands. He was everywhere.

"You are strong. Powerful." She said throatily, moving her hips down in a rhythm. Her eyes fluttered open and she reached for a bowl filled with dark liquid. She dipped his fingers in it and lifted them to her chest. She then started the process of dragging his fingers where ever she wanted them to go.

_i am covering you with tatau. just like the warrior_

"You are mine." She said, and gods did it feel good saying those words. She threw her head back, her lips parting. "Say you want me."

_i want you, _Vaas said, cupping her cheek. _I promise. _

Citra felt something wet on her cheek, and she wiped it away. The illusion of Vaas disappeared, leaving only Jason underneath her.

Jason who looked ready to pass out. The poison must be at its strongest right now. This was always the hardest part. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, hoping to transfer some of her strength into him. "Fight!" She said, brushing his cheek with her free hand. His eyes were moving underneath the lids, and Citra waited with bated breath. She doesn't know how much time has passed, nor did she care.

Dawn was breaking out in the horizon with the return of the sun. Jason's hands moved on their own accord, stroking her body, sending delightful shivers down her spine. He was back. He has conquered. She let out an appreciating moan as he ran his hands down her breasts. When his hands slipped away, she knew he was awake.

Citra smiled, opening her eyes to see a pair of green eyes looking at her. But they were not Jason's.

"Tell me who I am." He said, as she climbed off him. She didn't answer him at first, instead circling around the stone slab he laid upon, touching his boots and then strolling beside him to touch his hand. She smiled lightly when his finger followed hers after she slipped them away. He then noticed the finished tatau on his arm. She had covered her breasts but moved her arms away when she sat down beside him.

"You are a warrior. You live for battle. Every man you fight dies and deserves to have his life taken from him." She said, and grabbed his arm, "You wear the tatau. You feel the jungle around you. You are Rakyat!" His green eyes shone with the warrior she knew he is, and she smiled when he held her chin affectionately and got up.

Citra followed him, slipping on her shirt and standing a little ways to the side.

Va- Jason stood before the Rakyat warriors, all kneeling down for their new King. Citra felt her chest tighten. This is what she's been waiting for. This moment, right here. He has finally taken his rightful place. He has come home.

Jason stepped down the steps, his back straight and his chin held high. "Across this island, Vaas and his pirates enslave the bodies and the minds of the Rakyat. Our guns do not stop until Vaas falls at our feet!" He yelled, "We are the warriors of the Rakyat, and I will lead you to glory!" Jason raised a fist into the air, and the army of Rakyat warriors cheered with him.

Citra smiled, approaching the new leader of the Rakyat. She touched his arm lightly and he turned to face her.

"Citra." He said, cupping her cheek, "I'm going after him. I'm going to kill Vaas."

_kill Vaas kill- _

"There is no Vaas anymore." She said, placing her hand over his, "There is only _you._"

Vaas smiled back at her, his green eyes shining like beautiful gems. He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed back, pouring all her love into it.

He pulled away first and headed down the steps.

"Come back to me soon, brother." She called after him. Citra watched him strode down the steps with determination, the Rakyat warriors parting in half. Her heart swelled, and the liveliness of the air made her feel rejuvenated.

But there was something scratching at the back of her skull.

It was no longer Vaas walking down those steps, but Jason.

_kill Vaas_

_**kill**_

Citra felt like she couldn't breath.

But- but no, no. It was him, it was Vaas. His soul, his eyes, his mind. Just the body was contaminated. Rotten.

His body, his face, his smile.

Citra didn't want it to rot like it meant nothing to her.

She waved over her two personal guards.

"Follow him. Bring back whatever of value Vaas has in his hideout.. and bring back the body to me, and me only." She ordered, and they nodded their heads and left to catch up to Jason.

Citra closed her tired eyes and strolled to the over look. The sun had risen, still halfway in the sky, its rays lighting the sea like a trillion conflict diamonds.

_What do you think is out there?_

She didn't know anymore.

000

_**Jason**_

Her warrior returned, and she welcomed him back with open arms. Exhausted, he collapsed in them, and she held him, brushing his hair soothingly. When he came to, she was there to greet him back into the living.

"You fought well, Warrior. Arise. Enjoy your victory."

**_She's gonna make a warrior out of you_**

She helped him sit up. Vaas groaned, blinking his green eyes rapidly.

"Vaas is dead." She said, getting up and walking to the plate of water she brought for him. He must be thirsty from his journey.

Jason got up and sat down next to her.

An unsettling feeling rested in her chest but she ignored it and stirred the spoon in the water, pouring some into the cup. It is done. The old Vaas is dead. She should be relieved, but she only felt tired.

"He left me, the tribe, his birthright." She said, her voice wavering.

_he left me_

_he left me_

_i promise_

"Hoyt Volker lured him away with _money_."

_I- I need to get away from this fucking place. It's driving me fucking crazy! _

"Drugs." She said in disbelief.

_You're making me FUCKING CRAZY!_

"He became a monster."

_You're a demon! A fucking beast! _

She felt tears well up in her eyes, "But he was still my brother."

_I can never forget that you're my sister Citra. I'd rather leave this island than stay on it with you._

She handed him the cup of water and he took it. "Hoyt will pay for what he has done. To you, and to my brothers." Jason said, "I will bring you his head."

_you promise?_

Citra sat back, and said, "What of your friends?" She hasn't forgotten about them. They were the only things holding the memory of Jason. Of what used to be him.

Jason cradled the cup in his hands, pondering for a second before looking at her. "They'll take a boat back. I'm staying with you."

Something deep inside Citra cracked. Those words.. she's wanted to hear those words for so long. There were so many emotions running through head, but she controlled it and smiled a true smile she hasn't done in years.

"I'm pleased to hear that." She said, beckoning him to drink the water. "How will you kill Hoyt?" She asked after he finished. If Vaas was hard to get to, then taking down Hoyt will be almost near impossible. She's lost too many brave warriors who went to do the deed themselves. They all never returned.

Jason swallowed, "I met a man named Willis who can sneak me onto Hoyt's island."

"Clever." Willis? She's never heard of him, but if he can sneak him onto the South island she wasn't complaining. She suddenly turned away, focusing her attention on the spoon she set down. Everything seems to be going to fast, and she's only just got Vaas back. It was disappointing for him to leave her so soon.

"The Rakyat.. will miss you not being here." She said slowly, biting the inside of her cheek.

She chanced a glance at Jason and looked away when he had a brow raised.

"Oh will they?" He asked, with a hint of skepticism in his voice.

Citra bit back a smile and got up, Jason following suit. She gazed at the dark jungle and returned her attention to her leader. "Return to me," she said grabbing his hand,"my people," She brushed her fingers lightly over his tatau, "Soon."

She smiled a small hopeful smile, and he nodded his head. Vaas left, ready to fulfill his destiny and defeat the giant.

Citra's smile dropped, replaced with a cold mask. His friends. Jason's friends, they needed to go. They were the only ones still holding on to the memory of who Jason used to be. She cannot accept that. As long as they were alive, they will try to convince him to go away with them. Lure him away.

Citra wasn't going to lose him again.

**Not this time.**

Not ever again.

He belongs to her! He is hers to keep forever!

And _no one _is going to take him away.

**_We're so fucked, Jason_**

Citra marched back to the temple courtyard with dead set determination.

"Bring Dennis to me." She shot at one of her handmaidens. The woman bowed and went to do as she bid. Citra waited for them at the front of the huge tree like she did many nights ago when Jason had come to her the first time. Her handmaiden reappeared with Dennis in tow.

"Citra!" He exclaimed, throwing his hand in the air. She sneered at his obvious drunkenness. "What can I do for you." He said majestically and giggled, his body swaying to and fro. "What is it you desire from me?"

She narrowed her eyes, "Jason trusts you. He must have told you where his friends are hiding?"

Dennis hummed and tapped his chin in thought, "Mmmh yes. Yes I think he mentioned it."

"Tell me."

The tone in her voice made Dennis scrunch his face up. "Why must you know?"

She grit her teeth, "I do not have to explain myself to you. Now tell me where he is keeping his friends."

Dennis sobered right up, "Why? What will you do to them?"

Citra scoffed, "Why do you care?" She strolled down to him, "Do you not remember Dennis?" She circled him almost predatory, "To reach the center you must let all the cares of your past life fall away. Only the Path will remain." She stopped in front of him and took his chin, raising his head to look at her, "Jason is almost at the end of his Path. He will become the most powerful warrior in the tribe."

_he is so close_

"And it is my duty, to guide him. I am simply removing the past. We cannot be reborn without cleansing our minds." Dennis raised his hand to hold hers but she withdrew away.

"Jason, he is not ready. He is still holding on to the past." Dennis said carefully, and Citra could detect a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Citra raised a brow, "What are you suggesting?"

"Me," he said, placing a hand on his chest, "I am ready. I have forsaken my past. If Jason does not return, know that I will be here. I can be the one."

Citra looked at him from under her lashes, "Jealousy is dangerous Dennis. What have I taught you? Do not let simple human emotions dominate you. Jason is family now, he is your king. And you will treat him as such. Now, where is his friends?"

"With the good doctor, Dr. Earnhardt." Dennis said.

She smiled, "Good. We leave at once. Come!"

Citra, along with a bunch of her men as well as Dennis exited the temple, and climbed on board the trucks. As they drove to the house on the cliff, Citra realized this was the first time in a long time she's stepped out of her temple. The new change of scenery calmed her, as if being away from the darkness of the temple lifted a weight of her shoulders. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air.

It felt so good to be out.

The two-story house came into view in the distance. Citra's never met the doctor, but she's certainly heard of him. He crafts the drugs, the poison on this island. She will make sure her warrior comes home to a cleanse island. She will purge this place from all evil.

Dr. Earnhardt came out the front door to meet them as they parked the cars before his house.

"Dennis is that you? Oh and you brought friends-" The old man got cut short when one of her men shoved him aside.

"Search the house." She ordered.

Dr. Earnhardt looked bewildered, "W-what is the meaning of this? Dennis, what is going on?"

"Jason's friends-" Dennis started.

"There is no one inside!" One of her men came out and yelled. Citra frowned and glowered at the balding, old man.

"Where are you keeping them?" She hissed, clenching and un-clenching her fists.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about!" Dr. Earnhardt stuttered, his tongue flicking out to wet his dry, cracked lips.

Citra didn't believe the old man for a second. "Burn the house!"

"No! No! Please, Agnes' room- I have to keep it please!" The chemist burst out, falling to his knees as tears streamed down his face.

She raised a hand, halting the warriors and looked at Earnhardt. "Tell me where they are."

The old man sniffed, his eyes darting this way and that until he bowed his head low, "There is a path, behind the gazebo." He sounded so defeated, ashamed.

Citra smiled, "Burn the house!"

The old man's head snapped up and a gasp escaped his lips. "No! No! NO NO!" He screamed in agony, watching as flames burst in his home.

Citra didn't spare the chemist any of her time. She strode to the gazebo, and as he said, there was a dirt path hidden by plants that lead down to the opening of a cave. The way the hill was positioned, she would have never guessed this path even existed.

Dennis walked beside her, "Citra, you promised you wouldn't burn the house."

"I did not promise anything." She said, "The doctor assumed something which I has not even existed."

"But still. It was his home. Where will he live now?"

"The house needed to be destroyed. I will not have any more narcotics experimented on in our island." She said with disdain. "And for where he will live? The pirates are gone, he will have no more business anyways. The doctor can leave."

Dennis didn't say anything after that, and they marched down the path and entered the dank, dark cave. Torches were lit, their shadows twisting and morphing against the cavern walls. The wide tunnel opened up into a larger space, big enough to hide a large boat. Citra realized it was one of those hidden caves that led out into the ocean. There were four people sitting around a makeshift camp fire, and when they saw them they all stood up in surprise.

"Whoa dude, are we all seeing the same thing?" A blonde man sporting a hat on his head said.

"It's the natives." The other man in the group said, "Hey, where is Jason? Did Dr. Earnhardt let you down here?"

Citra didn't bother answering him. She waved her hand and her men strode towards the group. One hit the blonde outsider in the head with the butt of his gun. The two girls cried out his name in surprise.

"Ollie! What the fuck!" The dark haired outsider yelled heatedly, marching up to protect Ollie but a Rakyat aimed a gun at him, halting him in place.

"Keith!" The blonde girl called out in fright, her eyes wide with fear.

"Ow dude.." Ollie groaned, rubbing his head.

"Oh shit, oh shit. What the fuck is going on? Where's Jason!" Keith yelled.

"Daisy move!" One of the girls shouted, and the two broke out in a run towards the planks leading to the ship. They sprayed bullets at them, and the blonde one, Daisy, tripped and fell.

"Daisy!" Her friend stopped.

"Go! Go I'm fine!" Daisy said, waving her hand.

The brown hard woman looked reluctant to leave her friend behind, but she ran to the boat. Citra and some of her men followed after her. One picked up Daisy and pushed her to the rest of her friends. Citra walked up to the boat, her eyes blazing.

"-where. We need your help!"

She heard the outsiders voice and followed it to find her in the helm of the boat. Citra heard Jason's voice crackle on through the ship's radio. He sounded frantic and confused, and there gunshots in the background.

"Get over here as fast as you can!" She cried, clutching the radio as if it were her lifeline. Citra marched over to her and grabbed her hair and pulled her back. The woman let out a pained scream, and her hands flew to release her hair from Citra's grip.

"You think Jason will save you?" Citra mocked, handing the woman to her warriors.

She thrashed around and bared her teeth at Citra, "Yes he will you bitch! And you're going to regret ever crossing him!"

Citra smiled, amused and approached the woman until their faces were inches apart. She had green eyes.. filled with fear and anger. Citra could almost see herself reflected in those green eyes. So this must be Liza.

_fear and anger _

"Jason will not save you. There is no Jason." She whispered, her green eyes shining.

Citra exited the boat, Liza being pushed along.

"Is that all of them?" She asked Dennis.

"Yes, Jason's older brother is dead. Killed by Vaas and the younger one is at Hoyt's island. I am sure Jason will try to save him." Dennis said.

"You fuckers! Don't you dare touch Riley-" Keith was silenced with a punch.

Citra pursed her lips. Jason will no doubt come for his friends. But she knows he will do what is right in the end.

"Let us go." She ordered, and walked to the exit. She lead them back up, Jason's friends cursing and getting shoved when they resisted. When they reached the top, passing the gazebo, the outsiders let out gasps as they saw the burning house.

"No! Leave my Agnes alone!" Dr. Earnhardt cried, running at them with a knife in his hand. Citra reacted quickly and blocked his arm, and with her other hand pulled out the ceremonial knife and stabbed it right under the doctor's heart.

"NO!" Daisy shrieked, struggling against her captive. "NO! NO YOU MONSTER! YOU MONSTER!" She cried, tears streaming down her pale face. The old man choked, his eyes wide and confused.

"Agnes?" He whispered, stumbling backwards.

"No! No!" Daisy cried, her face contorting in utter heartbreak.

The old man kept stumbling back, as if lost. Citra followed him in leisurely pace, until he bumped against a long chair in the gazebo, flipping it over. He tripped and fell, a pained gasp escaping his lips. Citra grabbed the old man and propped him against the chair.

The chemist's eyes were blinking rapidly, his vision un-focused. "W-why?" He swallowed thickly.

Citra cocked her head slightly, "I am freeing your soul. Be calm, you will be at peace soon."

_you will be at peace soon_

_be calm be calm_

Something inside Citra's head exploded, like a million firecrackers. She squeezed her eyes shut, and opened them, gasping for air.

Her heart stopped.

Tane?

It was her uncle. Her uncle. Her uncle. Oh gods! A knife was protruding from his chest and she grabbed it, sliding it out.

_Citra.. _He said, cupping her cheek.

_Citra.. I love you so much. I always have. _

"Uncle!" She cried, clutching his hand.

Screams, someone was screaming.

Citra blinked and it was all gone. Nothing changed. Earnhardt laid beside her, clutching his chest, his hands staining red. And in her hands was the blade. She blinked back tears and got up.

A hand shot up and grabbed her wrist.

"My dear," Dr. Earnhardt whispered, "Is there no love in your heart?"

Citra's lips parted, and she stared at the old man. Her hand started to shake, and before his words could drown her she ripped her hand away from his grasp and walked to the car.

"Let's go!" She shouted, climbing on board the truck.

_love... love no love _

_i love you so much. i always have _

Her chest ached, and tears sprung forward but she willed them away. The old man had put something in her mind. Poison poison she wasn't going to listen. She won't let it blind her from her path.

Vaas is coming.

And she needed to be ready to greet him home.


End file.
